Zoinks! A Hollywood Premiere!

It's time to link up to Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. This week we're doing the letter "Z." I think this is something like my 20th time going through the alphabet. I'm done dried up. I have nothing for the letter Z (which was also true for most of the alphabet this time around). So, I'm forcing the Z-word to be Zoinks! But this post is really about my night attending a Hollywood movie premiere.

My husband works in the film industry, or in L.A. we call it The Industry. He works in post-production, so he usually doesn't get much opportunity to rub elbows with the rich and famous. Although sometimes he gets to! He also rarely gets invited to attend the premiere of a movie he works on. It does happen occasionally. The last time he was invited to a premiere, our daughter had an accident the day before. While she wasn't injured badly, her injuries were a bit delicate in nature and required me to spend the day at home with her, missing the premiere.

My husband was finally invited to another premiere. This time, there were no accidents or illnesses. I was able to attend the premiere with him! The movie? What to Expect when You're Expecting.

As we approached the theater, the crowd was going crazy. We couldn't see who it was that arrived though. I'm assuming it was J-Lo. Security approached us and asked if we were attending the premiere. I thought he was going to show us to the red carpet, but no such luck. He showed us our walkway to the theater. Let's just say there was no red carpet involved. They put a pathway in behind the red carpet's backdrop. So, not only were we not allowed to walk the red carpet, but we couldn't even gawk at the celebrities on the red carpet!

As we made our way down the hidden pathway, we did see one photographer taking a picture of us. No, he wasn't the media or paparazzi. He was a tourist hoping to land the big celebrity photo. As people walked by, he asked, "Are you famous? Are you famous?" I felt like replying, "Are you totally clueless?" Are you totally clueless?" Why he would think a famous person would shun the red carpet on a movie they were supposed to be promoting is beyond me. Instead, I pointed to my husband and said, "He's VERY famous!" This made the tourist really excited, and he took many photos of my husband.

There were assigned seats for the movie. I had no idea how we lucked out, but we ended up with awesome seats. We were near the front (but not too close) near the center. The actors from the movie were scattered around us. The seats directly next to me were empty. I wonder if no-shows like Chris Rock or Dennis Quaid were supposed to have those seats?

After the movie, we went to the after party at the Roosevelt Hotel. I've never been there before, but it's gorgeous! It's a storied hotel that is supposedly haunted by many spirits including Marilyn Monroe. I didn't see Marilyn there, but I did see some other celebs, although I didn't seen any of the major female stars of the movie--with the exception of Brooklyn Decker.

My husband and I did get into an in-depth conversation with a famous woman whose known for her marriage to a beloved rocker who committed suicide in the 90s. This woman is now famous for her addictions, but at one time fronted a rock band and has even done some acting herself. Anyway, we had a surprisingly enjoyable chitchat with her. I also had the chance to shake hands with a VERY hot actor who has a smaller role in the movie (mostly with his shirt off).

We actually didn't stay at the party for too long. Being old fuddy-duddies, we were ready to call it a night pretty early on. But it was fun to have the experience of attending a premiere!

Zoinks!

Are You Mom Enough?

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! I sure did! My daughter really stepped up and made my day special. It was more than I could have ever had hoped for!

I'm sure everyone has seen all the hoopla around Time Magazine's Article: "Are You Mom Enough?" My husband subscribes to Time (not for much longer) but I haven't had a chance to read the article yet.

I know a lot of moms who do attachment parenting. I also know a lot of moms who don't do attachment parenting. Whose kids do you think will grow up to be the happiest?

I think both sets of kids can grow up to be happy, well-adjusted adults. Making kids feel loved and secure helps pave the way for them to grow to be happy adults. I don't think attachment parenting is the only way to achieve this goal. I also don't think attachment parenting guarantees that children will feel loved and secure.

Nevertheless, when Moms love their children, they are mom enough. It's just that easy!

Over the weekend I found a website where moms have a chance to vent their feelings. At least, that's what I thought it was at first. After reading some of the entries, I realized it was a place for moms to vent about how they hate motherhood. These were clearly women who never should have had babies. Many posted things like, "I wish my baby died during the pregnancy." It was awful to read!

I finally stopped reading after one mom talked about how she left her family. Her one regret was that she didn't sign over her parental rights so she was stuck paying child support and seeing her kids when her former husband saw fit. She advised the other women on this board to not make her mistake. She advised them to sign over their rights and just leave, adding that when the kids grow up, they'll seek their moms out then and form a relationship then.

Oh joy!

Those women are NOT mom enough.

The rest of us are definitely mom enough!

Don't let the stupid media make you feel any less than you are! If you love your kids unconditionally you are mom enough!

Yikes or What Happens if Mel Gibson Worked as a Telemarketer

It's time to link up to Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. This week we're on the letter "Y." I can't believe we're so close to the end of the alphabet! Y is for Yikes!

We've all been annoyed by telemarketers. They have a right to make a living just as everyone else does. But I find their calls so annoying. However, usually when they call, I interrupt their spiel and tell them I'm not interested and to take my number off their list. They usually thank me politely an hang up. Occasionally, they might just be rude and hang up. That's okay. I don't care.

Last week, however, was an entirely different story. A telemarketer called and launched his speech. I interrupted him, asking him to take me off his list. He ignored me and kept talking louder. I asked him again. Still, he ignored me and continued with his speech. I firmly asked a third time to take me off. I was afraid that if I just hung up on him, my phone number would remain on his list.

Finally, after the umpteenth time of trying to get his to stop his spiel and acknowledge my request, he lashed out at me. He told me to stop yelling at him, which I wasn't doing. He then told me I was stupid if I thought the 100 calls a day I received a day were all from him.

I thought, "Um, no--just this call. Please take me off your list." It wasn't a far leap to go from that rant to just calling me a stupid bitch. At this point, I calmly asked for his supervisor. He called me a stupid bitch a few more times. I still asked for his supervisor. Like he was going to seriously get him. I have no clue what I was thinking.

Finally, he concluded his call with his closing pitch: saying obscene things that Ms. Jenny won't allow me to write here and still keep my post PG-rated.

Yikes!

I think I hit a nerve. I wonder if I was his last telemarketing call. I HOPE I was his last call. Either that or Mel Gibson started working as a telemarketer.

Lesson learned: When you receive a telemarketing call, first get the company name, then get the caller's name, THEN tell the caller you want to be taken off their call list.

My Top 5 Favorite Movies

My husband and I both love to watch movies. He loves anything super-depressing. I like quirky comedies the best! We're not the most movie-compatible people. Nevertheless, we usually agree more than disagree on whether a movie is good or not.

Because this is my blog, I have total freedom to list my favorite 5 movies. I have to be a bit honest, though. I left some amazing movies off my list. Yes, we all know that Titanic was great. I wanted to go with movies that might not be on everyone's radar right now.

Number 5:

Adaptation

I think this movie had one of the most original screenplays ever. It quirky, twisted, and funny. It was fun to watch Nicholas Cage and Meryl Streep play real people in fictional ways. It was even wilder that Nicholas Cage's fictional character, Donald Kaufman, was actually nominated for a best adapted screenplay Oscar. How in the hell did that happen?

Number 4:

When Harry Met Sally

I love, love, love this romantic comedy. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal are amazing as they ponder the question "Can men and women truly be friends or will there always be an agenda?" The movie is sprinkled by wonderful, quirky stories about how other people met the loves of their lives. Think those stories are true? They're not. They're written for the movie. They do seem so real though!

Number 3:

The Big Easy

A super hot Dennis Quaid goes after an unconventionally attractive Ellen Barkin and quirky hilarity ensues. Okay, maybe not. But it's a great cop thriller set in the backdrop of New Orleans. This movie got me into Cajun and Zydeco music and dancing. It also has one scene in it that will leave you needing a cold shower. Or something else.

Number 2:

 Raising Arizona


My favorite Ethan and Joel Coen movie. It's also one of my favorite comedies ever. And yes, it is quirky. Nicholas Cage (how on earth did he end up in two of my top 5 favorite movies?) and Holly Hunter kidnap a baby because they can't have one of their own. Sounds hilarious, right? Well, it really is! It also has one of the funniest car chase scenes ever in it!

Number 1:

Almost Famous

Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this mostly autobiographical movie about how he toured with an up-and-coming band when he was only 15 years old. This movie is funny, touching, and endearing. It captures an era that I missed by about 5 years, but I love experiencing it in this movie. It introduces us to Zooey Deschanel in a great performance. Even more amazing is Kate Hudson. Cameron Crowe directed her in her only great performance to date.  Frances McDormand also gives an amazing performance as Cameron Crowe's mother.

At the time the movie was released, some people I know complained that Frances' character was unbelievably over the top. If you watch the commentary track, you'll quickly realize that the character was portrayed pretty realistically. You see, the commentary track is done by Cameron Crowe and his real-life mother. I never watch the commentary track, but with this movie, it should be required viewing--a day after you watch the movie on its own, of course.


What are your favorite movies?

Xtreme Close-Up

Another round of Alphabe-Thursday with Jenny Matlock is quicking coming to a close. It's hard to believe we're on the letter "X" this week! As always, I'm cheating on X. X is for Xtreme Close-Up.

I live near a section of Los Angeles that has been home to many reality shows: Newlyweds, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, It's Complicated, to name a few. I've had many friends who have either taped a segment of a reality show or have been slated to, only to have the show die a quick death before taping began.

I was beginning to feel a bit left out of all the excitement!

That all changed this past weekend when my daughter and I filmed a segment of a potential reality show. I'm not allowed to talk about this show specifically. I will say that I believe it was a pilot episode and hasn't been picked up yet. So, all the filming may never see the light of day.

That's okay with me! It was just fun participating in something a little different.

I wish I had Xciting tidbits to share, but it really wasn't all THAT Xciting. We had to wait an hour and a half from our call time before they filmed us. An hour and a half is an eternity for an 8-year old! My daughter became increasingly whiny during the time we were waiting. On the one hand, I can't say I blame her. But I did warn her that this would happen and to be prepared for it.

The surprising part was the actual filming. There were no reshoots. What unfolded and what they captured was authentic. If they didn't capture someone's expression, it was their loss. That really surprised me! The total shoot time for us took only about 20 minutes or so.

They warned us that once filming started, there would be cameras and microphones everywhere to capture our reactions. They weren't kidding! At one point, I asked my daughter, "What do you think?" Before she could even answer, a big boom microphone appeared just over our heads. It came out of no where! I had a hard time not busting up laughing when that happened.

So we had our 15 minutes of fame. Um... make that 2 minutes since that's probably all that will remain of us once editing is done. Assuming, of course, that the show gets picked up!

On to the next reality show! Maybe someone is interested in following around a quirky (albeit boring) mother and daughter as they take on uber-cool Los Angeles?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Life Well Lived--Getting Happy

As part of their Life Well Lived series, BlogHer posed a really fun question: How does blogging, journaling, writing, and connecting online help to increase your happiness? When people find out I blog, they typically ask, "Why do you do it? Do you make good money?" This question always causes me to laugh! I initially went into blogging because I was hoping to find a way to make money while being a stay-at-home-mom. The money never materialized. I'm also no longer a stay-at-home-mom. I work at a pretty big internet company that keeps me pretty busy. Yet I still blog. Granted, I don't blog as much as I used to, but I still plug away.

The reason why I still do it is because I enjoy it. I find blogging to be therapeutic. When I have a horrific day, purging my thoughts onto the screen and hitting the "Publish" button makes me feel so much better. It often helps me to put things in perspective too.

What also surprised me the most about blogging was how social an activity is it. When I started, I pictured myself sitting at my computer and typing away while becoming very isolated. But blogging is actually not an isolating experience. You find other bloggers in your niche that go through the same things you do. You become each others support group. When I have met up with other bloggers in person, I'm always amazed at how close I feel to these women. I guess reading each others posts, which can be very personal and intimate can bring people together! As I'm writing this, I had just returned from a dinner with a group of about 20 Southern California bloggers. We had a blast talking about our blogs and our families. It was really fun!

Would I say blogging has increased my happiness? Hell ya! It hasn't increased my wallet size, but it definitely has been very fun to do. Please join me here to comment on what BlogHer's feature blogger has to say about how blogging has increased her happiness. Then, click over here to participate in the Life Well Lived Sweepstakes.

Wake-Up Call

It's time to link up to Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. This week, the letter is "W." W is for Wake-Up Call. The other day, I ran into my neighbor. I hadn't seen her in months! We were both catching up on our lives. She looked at me for a minute, then said, "Congratulations!" Huh? What was she congratulating me for? It then became painfully obvious that she was congratulating me on my pregnancy. Only...I'm not pregnant. She realized her mistake, then chided me for holding my hand on my belly. She said that if I don't want people to think I'm pregnant, then I shouldn't stand like that. Oh, and my big breasts didn't help the situation, she quickly added. I have to be honest. I don't think she thought I was pregnant because of where my hand was or because my (ahem) twins are on the large size. She though I was pregnant because I've gained some weight. Pure and simple. I know I need to eat better and get some form of exercise. Between my crazy work schedule and taking care of my daughter, I honestly don't have time to fit in any exercise. As it is, my day is pretty nonstop from 5:30 in the morning until 9:00 at night. My work offers a pilates class twice a week, which is a nice perk, but I really can't afford taking the tine to go to the class. I really have no other time to make up the lost hour. But I don't like people thinking I'm pregnant. As someone who has spent most of their life with the skinny gene, it's weird to no longer be that skinny girl anymore. While Target does have cute maternity clothes, I don't want to resort to having to wear them!