Election Day is here and it has come SO fast! As you may know, I voted this morning and My Perfect Husband, the Critter and I will join Nancy’s supporters to poll watch tonight. This has been a very exciting election for me – having a child really causes one to connect to the community and really CARE what’s happening in the future with that community. I was proud to host a coffee to introduce Nancy to my friends you see in the photos above and they all agree that she is the best choice of the three that we need to elect. I’ve made my three choices and am anxiously awaiting the results.
I always love the buzz in my neighborhood on this weekend. It’s the most glamorous time of the year, as we celebrate the engine that runs things around here. As I watch the Red Carpet, I LOVE that stars now bring their moms to the the Oscars, because we all know who REALLY started the engine. I’m Facebooking and tweeting with some of my @MomsLA pals and look forward to the fun!
I am so sentimental for New Orleans today – I’m seeing so many wonderful shots from the parades today from old friends who are in the Crescent City today. We will actually be celebrating Shrove Tuesday this year at All Saints . I’m expecting great pancakes without the nakedness.
I confess that I have always been a plant murderer. Fortunately I have been rehabilitated by the ease with which we lucky Southern Californians can grow succulents. I have managed not to kill quite a few attractive plants that grow whether or not I pay any attention to them. I was inspired at the LA Art Show by the huge orchid containers at the entrance and by some beautiful cactus containers I see when I visit local nurseries, so I decided to take the potted plant up a notch to try my hand at creating some containers with these little pretties. An added benefit is that I can enlist the Critter to help me select the plants, do the replanting, and the decorations we used for the layers of our succulent project. We spent our creative time last week doing all the selecting and then did the planting over the weekend. The average amount of time per pot: fifteen minutes! Try a project like this – huge satisfaction value for low skilled gardeners.
Happy New Year to you, my faithful readers! First on my 2013 agenda was to by get involved and support Nancy Krasne for our local city council election. I believe she is the BEST candidate for our city – she is the one I know is reading ALL the lines and in between to make sure our city stays safe, prosperous, and the amazing little place that it is. If you are a citizen of Beverly Hills, I URGE you to read the story I wrote about Nancy and look into supporting her. You will also enjoy the videos above of Nancy speaking formally and informally at her 2013 Campaign kickoff, as well as a few clips of New York Times bestselling author Brittney Ryan telling her stories of why she supports Nancy.
Y’all know my history with Chris Mann, and you know how much I love PBS, so you can imagine how thrilled I was when I got the invitation from Barbara at One2One Network to attend the taping of his upcoming PBS Special! I went to Sony last night and watched and listened to him BRING IT for four hours, and I can assure you the special will be something…special. I thought this about Chris since the first night I heard him play and am so happy to see all the great things that have happened since then – that he’s in the skilled hands of the production people at PBS is also very reassuring. I know that they’ll “get” him and create a wonderful program with all his hard work. His voice is in top condition, and every note her delivers is rich and clear. My favorite songs he performed? Cuts from his new album Roads: My Way ( Frank Sinatra and his grandad would be proud), and Cuore (it really doesn’t matter if you know what he’s saying, just close your eyes and listen). After seeing this special you will also want to add his Christmas album to your permanent collection – his version “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” is just amazing.
Here we are together after the show – I got to give him a hug and tell him how happy I am for all he’s achieved since that night at Genghis Cohen…
Super deluxe thanks to the folks at Disney Pixar for inviting me to lunch at Four Seasons Beverly Hills with the very amazing producer of BRAVE Katherine Sarafian. If you ever wonder how the eighteen year veteran of Pixar mom of two manages to drive a blockbuster animated film’s production while pregnant, you’ll be pleased to know that Katherine suffers all the issues we all have – having enough time with family, getting everyone to school on time, and her fear of potluck supper ( she was thrilled to know that she can just give some money to the organizer mom!). I really enjoyed talking with her on how LONG it takes to develop an animated character – it took almost two YEARS for the animators to nail down that fabulous flowing red hair that the heroine of BRAVE has.
Upon arriving home, the Critter and I immediately opened the wonderful gift of the DVD BluRay combo pack I was given and watched the film – it’s amazing! The animation could not be more flawless – it’s a visual fantasy feast for everyone. Don’t worry, you can get your home version on November 13th!
As usual, I am in holiday heat. You probably know that I LOVE Halloween, and can’t wait to be the teacher’s helper at kindergarten tomorrow so I can see all the cutie pies in their costumes, help decorate cookies, and OF COURSE go out trick or treating in the ‘hood. I hope y’all have a great Halloween – keep it sweet and safe!
When the Critter was about eighteen months old I found this Feist video on SesameStreet.org. He was completely enraptured by it! I now had five minutes to go to the bathroom or make a phone call and know that my wee one was entertained. But that was only the beginning of the benefit of this discovery – The Critter counted to four AND sang the Whoaaaaa part of the song, the first time either happened, EVER! This was the beginning of many special moments of discovery with the furry and funny monsters that I will always remember, and in which my baby began his education – I credit this program and others on PBS with his ease (so far) in learning to read in kindergarten.
Since then I have developed a relationship with programming and people at PBS and write about them frequently. I believe that there is no more valuable resource for our children AND adults to learn and broaden horizons.
Government needs to trim fat, but our public television is not fat. It is the steak on the plate in a sea of potatoes. Support PBS!
I’m back in BH, making lunches for BHDad and the Critter for the next few days as I prepare to head out again to Atlanta. I had such a great weekend with all the awesome Sits Girls at Bloggy Boot Camp – I picked up tons of great information that any woman in business needs to know about social media. Prevailing themes were primarily aimed at working smarter, knowing one’s value, solving tech glitches, and for those of us work from home moms – how to set boundaries and keep your mind clear for your family.
It was not all work and no play – Ashaa and I managed to do a little partying at the Cosmopolitan – the most glam casino on the strip right now. You MUST have a look at my videos of that place!
