Politics

In my spam folder, this message: "McCain Chooses Paris Hilton to be Running Mate." Sigh. I wish.

Milky Way

Okay, one more summer sweet treat: Milkshakes. Today, I took a work field trip to a new West Hollywood shop that offers milkshakes: Millions of Milkshakes. Oddly, the shop also sells books of a less-than-sweet nature about terrorism and deadly viruses (see photo). In a milkshake shop? Hmmmm. So it's Millions of Milkshakes and a handful of scary books. When we left, I began singing Outkast's "Hey Ya" ("shake it like a Polaraoid picture") and then the silly "Milkshake" song by Kelis. My anecdote for getting them out of my head: "Shake It Up" by the Cars. (The Cars are a cure for many ills, even bellyaches from pigging out on a milkshake.) Check out the clip below for the song (and a great look at killer shoulder pads!).

Summer Sweets

Labor Day is coming up and I'm becoming nostalgic already for the summer that's coming to an end. As I have a summer wardrobe, I have a summer diet. It's usually during summer that I eat these sweet treats.

Ice pops (see pictured ones from Mexico) and Otter Pops

Toasted marshmallows

Chocolate-covered banana from Charley Temmel's in Venice

Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice cream cone

Homemade whipped cream over fresh strawberries from the Farmers' Market (from Harry’s Berries)

Rice Dream Vanilla Nutty Bar

Tofutti Cuties

Sharon's lemon sorbet

Homemade blueberry pie

Too Cute

Some days call for cute. I've bookmarked Cute Overload.

Rock T-Shirts That Rule

When I was a teen, I remember the excitement of arriving at a music venue to see one of my favorite bands perform and going right to the merchandise stand to see what the T-shirts looked like. If I liked the artist or band, there was no question about the fact that I would splurge on a tee. (I still have many of the ticket stubs but I regret not saving all those T-shirts.) Then I grew up and stopped buying rock shirts, but I've made some good purchases this year. It started with a Wilco tee; I loved the color and the design (see it above) and when I found out it was made of a bamboo and organic cotton blend, I was sold ("it's eco-friendly" is one of my favorite rationalizations these days). At yesterday's Radiohead show at the Hollywood Bowl, I was tempted again. The shirts come from the band's merchandising company, called W.A.S.T.E. (We Are Sensibly Talking Endlessly), and it's made of a polyester that comes from the fibers of recycled plastic bottles and organic cotton. Yep, easy sale; I got one for me and one for Mr. MVP (both pictured).

Some Days....

Photo taken in Venice, CA.

Spam Praise

The subject line of the message above, found in my spam folder, reads:
Obama Comes Clean: "I'm an Elitist, Ultra-Liberal Bastard."

I don't have a haiku to write about this one. I have only one question: What's wrong with that?!

Mexican Wrestlers in Wine

Photos taken in Baja, Mexico.

Now, the song stuck in my head: "Mexican Wine" by Fountains of Wayne.

Mexican Mermaids

Photos taken during a weekend trip to Baja, Mexico for a friend's wedding.

Henry and Henry VIII

On the left: Henry George Herbert (he's that big because he ate George and Herbert). On the right: Henry VIII. I previously posted about them here.

Farewell to Heel Hell

The sneakered legs in the photo above belong to a dancer at a Palm Springs nightclub. He was busting moves on a platform, wearing only sneakers and a pair of snug briefs that were stuffed with folded up bills from the loyal following of mostly fellows at the club (plus a smattering of women out for bachelorette nights), but I was more interested in his choice of footwear than anything else. He was wearing sensible shoes! The most fashionable footwear choices are rarely the most comfortable. This is not a late breaking news report, but I recently made a visit to my tailor with some jeans that had been folded up and neglected in my closet because they were hemmed to be worn with heels. It takes a lot to get me into a pair of heels these days and it felt liberating to make this concession and to admit that I'm tired of unnecessary back pain, shin pain, toe pain, and ball of foot pain. I like to walk in comfort. After taking up the jeans, I parted ways with the heels that had been stuck in shoe boxes at the back of the closet. Well, I held onto two vintage pairs: strappy Chanel heels with signature chain details and an open-toed gold pair of sling-backs—but I'll wear these on special occasions with dresses or skirts (better to show off legs, anyway). I won't go so far as to wear running shoes daily like Mr. Go-Go Palm Springs but I will stick to my kitten heels and cute flats for jeans. Sensible enough. Or, if I decide to go out on a limb and embrace the old-is-new, nod-to-the-80s trend of darted and rolled up cuff jeans, I'll be all set.

Mermaids: Orange Tail, Side of Hotel

Photo taken in Marina del Rey, CA. I like the tile.

Knock at My Heart: Charmed

Looking at the contents of my mother's jewelry box has always been a treat. Oooh, pretty jewelry. She's got a minimalist style—her constants are her wedding ring and my grandmother's diamond pendant necklace—so the other pieces only come out for occasions. I have always viewed the jewelry box as a treasure chest and especially love the charms, which she began collecting as a teen and wore on a chunky gold charm bracelet. She wears the bracelet occasionally now without the charms and recently asked me if I wanted any of them. ("You'll get them eventually," she said. "If you want them, you might as well take them now!") It's hard to pick favorites, but I might have to say it's the gold charm affixed to a rectangular plate; it's a heart with a banner that reads, "Knock at my heart." My father gave this to my mother when they were still dating and the charm originally had a knocker on it that was removed by the jeweler when it was attached to the plate. This peaked my curiosity and a quick search on eBay brought me to a version of the original charm in silver. The knocker moves (it really knocks!). So now I've got both versions.

OH, AND ONE MORE THING: Both my parents wrote about the "when they were still dating" mention. Well, they're married now so they're past the dating stage. But it's definitely worth noting that they're still married! Happily, too.

More for Mary's Band

Mary called to say she's written some more songs since the last time we talked. But this is it, she said. She's done writing songs. Are you retiring?, I asked. No, she said. But I'm done with the songs—I have all that I need. The rest:

Dog Bite
Wave Crashing
Take A Step Away
What I Like About You
Who Do You Think You Are?
Pop Star
What I Like About You

I mentioned that I knew a song called "What I Like About You" and I sang her a few verses (see clip below). Mine is different, she said. It goes like this: "What I like about you: Your hair, your eyes, your nose. You're all I wanna be." Yep, different.

More Sun Songs... And a Venice Sunset Pic

I couldn't resist checking my iTunes for more sun songs.

Here Comes The Sun, Beatles
Sun King, Beatles
Watch The Sunrise, Big Star
Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Withers
Sun Is Shining, Bob Marley & The Wailers
Waitin' On A Sunny Day, Bruce Springsteen
Sundress, Buffalo Tom
Distant Sun, Crowded House
People Are Like Suns, Crowded House
Indian Sunset, Elton John
A Sun a Sound, Great Northern
Into the Sun, Great Northern
Waiting For The Sun, Jayhawks
Sunshine, Keane
Big Red Sun Blues, Lucinda Williams
Ride Into The Sun, Luna
I Don't Believe In The Sun, The Magnetic Fields
Looking At The Sun, Matthew Sweet
Sunshine, The Meat Purveyors
California Sunset, Neil Young
Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam, Nirvana
Yellow Sun, The Raconteurs
California Sun, Ramones
Island in the Sun, Weezer
On the Sunny Side of the Street, Willie Nelson

Sunny Days

Wish I could have seen the recent solar eclipse.


I've been singing one of my favorite "sun" songs since watching the clip.

Go Dodgers

Just doesn't feel like summer until I've gone to a baseball game—and had a baseball stadium hot dog (or two).

Roadside: Boob Job Billboard

Photo taken in Westminster, CA. I was surprised the price wasn't rounded up.