06.27.07
Posted in L.A. Adventures at 10:47 am by Nicole
While I do admittedly devote much of my brain energies on things that I probably shouldn’t, that is not to say that is all I do. In fact, I had a pretty eventful weekend that I completely neglected to write about!
On Friday night after work I met some girlfriends out at the Abbey in West Hollywood, to celebrate a friend-of-a-friend’s something or other worth celebrating. For those that don’t know, the Abbey is The Most Famous Ever Gay Bar in the City. The drinks are strong, the men are great eye candy, and a couple of years ago I saw Laurence Fishburne lounging in one of the cabanas in the back. Also, the Abbey just revamped its menu and we chowed down on sliders (don’t forget to add bacon!), french fries (delicious!), and mac and cheese (kind of too watery, like a soup). A couple people ordered salads (why?) and said they were good too. Of course, we got some carrot cake and a devil’s food cake for dessert, both delicious and rich.
We decided to then go next door to Here and dance off our dinner. The drinks are not as strong at Here, and the girls far out number the guys, but they play Top 40 pop songs, which is perfect to dance to when you’ve had two (v. strong) pomegranate martinis at the Abbey. As a side, I am slightly ashamed to admit that I am now loving Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” which my girls and I sang all throughout the night. We may have even created a little dance for it. I’m not saying any more.
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06.18.07
Posted in L.A. Adventures, Random Thoughts at 11:52 am by Nicole
At least, how to impress me and my friends. Garnered from the extensive “research” we did this weekend.
- Smile at us. But not all creepy like. Smile like you are laughing at a joke. Do not do the “guns” or wink or the one eyebrow raised thing. We will run far far away if you do that.
- Do not ever EVER order a “Jack and Diet.” Or, any other drink involving a diet soda. Maybe you drink diet soda in the privacy of your own home. Maybe you aren’t on a diet but believe that you “crash” from all the sugar. I don’t know and I don’t care, but nothing screams “I am either vain or have body image issues because I used to be fat and now work out inscessantly and am also possibly not eating carbs anymore so those french fries are all you, missy, but maybe I will be bitter that you are eating fries and so will try and guilt you into dieting too!” (or “I have Issues!” for short) more than a guy ordering a Jack and Diet. (I can go on for days about this. Maybe it is just my thing?)
- On the dance floor, less is more. If we let you dance with/near us, do not flail your arms about or perform some kind of strange pop and lock stolen from Darren’s Dance Grooves.
- Do not tell us that you are married with children but see something special in us.
- Cut your losses and leave us alone if we act like we aren’t interested in you. We are not playing hard to get. We are really not interested.
- Offer to buy our friends drinks too. Nothing garners more pimp points.
- Compliment our outfit. But not too specifically or else we will wonder if you are gay. For example, “That’s a hot dress” is good, “Oh my God, are those the new Paige jeans? Work it, girl!” is not.
- Smell great, but like you are clean and just smell great naturally. Don’t overdose on the cologne. And try not to sweat or get too hot because then you won’t smell as great at the end of the night when we are tired and want to lean on you.
- Do not let us see you talking to other girls after you stopped talking to us. But - and I know this is not fair but whatever it is my list - do NOT, under any circumstances, confront us if you see us talking to another guy. I mean, he could be our brother or gay friend or friend’s boyfriend, so chill out.
- Last, and here is the best piece of advice. I can’t believe I am even sharing this, but, okay. So if you are really into the girl and you want her number? Take out your cell and say, “Hey, can I get your number? Then I will call your phone so you can have mine too!” This covers all bases. Obviously, you are asking for her number, so you are taking charge, none of this “here is my number, you should call me” crap that some guys do. But that second part is so key. Saying that you are calling her phone right now tells her that she cannot give you a fake number to make you go away, and if she really doesn’t want to date you (see: ”Cut your losses,” above) she’s going to have to tell you that. (But, hey, at least you know!) Also, saying that she can have your number too shows that you are accessible and openand gives her a chance to program your number with either a “Yay!” ringtone or a “Holy fuck what was I thinking do NOT pick up” ringtone.
Of course, when in doubt - and this, I think, goes for everyone - just be the happiest, most confident version of yourself and it will be fine. I hope people will share their thoughts on this list or what impresses them in the comments, too!
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06.12.07
Posted in L.A. Adventures, Dating Diaries at 7:34 am by Nicole
So I guess this is how it is going to be, huh? Random text messages and phone calls where I end up feeling more disconnected from you than before. Days where I don’t talk to you at all, where you don’t respond to my text messages or phone calls. There is no apparent interest in anything that is going on with me, either. Did you know that my sister came to LA to visit me for a couple days? And that while we got on each other’s nerves while she was here, I miss her like crazy now that she’s left? I guess I’ve given up the fantasy that things could be different. Any realization that I was perfect for you or that you couldn’t live without me would have happened by now.
Over the weekend a bunch of us went to R-Bar, which is where I tried to take you before you left but we never got there. You would have liked it - dark corners, random premium beers, Journey and Johnny Cash on the jukebox. And, just enough pretense and hype to be totally LA; the place requires a password for entry. As I stood at the jukebox, a guy smiled at me, “Do you need more money for your songs?”
I looked at him and all I thought was that he wasn’t you. “No thanks, I got it.”
“You have the cutest smile, you know that? What’s your name?
“Jennifer,” I lied. Jennifer is my bar name for the guys I write off immediately, it is so innocuous and forgettable.
“Are you here with anyone?”
“I’m here with that group over there,” I pointed vaguely to my left.
“But are you here with anyone special?”
“No, my boyfriend’s out of town.” I know. I know. You aren’t really my boyfriend. You aren’t anyone special. I’m not anyone special to you. We broke up (not explicitly, but still), you are far away, blah blah blah no commitment. I know this.
“Well Jennifer,” he said, “If I was your boyfriend, I would never leave your side. I’d want you to go everywhere I go, and I would go everywhere you go. We would make it work.”
I know it was just a cheesy line said in a crowded dark bar, but it is what I had been hoping you’d say to me for months now. And, at that moment, I realized that you never would.
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05.23.07
Posted in L.A. Adventures at 9:39 pm by Anna
I just wanted to say that a friend of mine just decided to get a boob job with a very presigous plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. She wouldn’t divulge the exact cost, but when I guessed $20,000 she smiled sheepishly and said, “More”. Not only that, but she has to pay it all in advance; and since she doesn’t have the money to dump in a lumpsome, she actually has to take out a loan out for part of it! We must truly, truly be living in LA! This kind of thing never ceases to amaze me. I do not exactly have an astronomical bra size, and sometimes I wish I did, but I’m not willing to let it run my life, or my bank statement! Well, I hope they look good…
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05.18.07
Posted in L.A. Adventures at 3:04 pm by Nicole
I put aside my mopey last night and hit the town with a friend. I knew it would be a good night when, after deciding that my jeans and a black sweater look would just not do, I stumbled into Barney’s Co-Op and stumbled out with the cutest black sweatshirt mini-dress with a peter pan collar you ever did see. And did I mention that it was made entirely of sweatshirt material?? I changed in the bathroom of the restaurant after dinner.
We went to a party in Hollywood, at the Stoli Hotel. (Promotional thing with Stoli, fake hotel that is really just a club, here for the month of May.) Because my friend had the hook up, we got to bypass the line and get in free. And yay for the open bar!! We had a ton of fun, people watched some very very minor celebrities, and danced all night long. Just what I needed to get my mind (if even for just a little bit) off my stupid dramas.
Here’s hoping the weekend will bring more of the same! (Have a great one, everyone!)
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05.09.07
Posted in L.A. Adventures, Dating Diaries at 4:18 pm by Nicole
As I’ve been saying, a lot of my apprehension is fear of the unknown. Not just the big stuff - will I ever find love again? - but also the smaller scale day-to-day stuff, like what will I do on the weekends now?
And to be honest, I have been feeling like I’ve been living a waiting game. I’m waiting for him to leave, but don’t want him to leave because I won’t know what to do with myself after he does. So, I’m making a list. Of things that I, as a totally single gal-about-town, can do just for myself. Because it is about time.
- I will not go out for one week after he leaves. I will use this time to wallow and mope and mourn until I am sick of it.
I think one of my biggest mistakes was feeling likeI had to get right back out there because he was getting right back out there. And I did, and it just made me feel worse and more hopeless, and miss him more, and also feel stupid for still letting him control my life when he wasn’t even in my life. I also think I was scared of being alone at first. I was scared of coming home after work and having no where to go and no one to meet for dinner. I was scared of waking up on Sunday morning with nothing to do and no one to do it with. I was scared of not expecting anyone to call me. With this self-imposed week of being alone, I will face and experience these fears. It will no longer be an unknown - I know it will suck. I know it will be lonely, and I will not know what to do with myself. I’ll eat too much, take long showers, listen to cheesy music, and go to bed early. (He’ll be doing Lord knows what with Lord knows who.) But hopefully after that week, I will have gained some perspective about the relationship, distance from him, and self-respect for doing what I needed.
- I will develop a healthy regime.
Now, because a lot of my life is hurry-up-and-wait, and I work long and inconsistent hours, it is hard to eat right and exercise. (That, and I hate eating right and exercising.) Combine that with the fact that his schedule is never the same from week to week or day to day, I became an expert on last minute plans. Which, while definitely a good trait, is not helpful when trying to cultivate discipline in living a healthier life. But, since I will not have to take into account his crazy and inconsistent schedule, I can be more disciplined in my efforts. I can eat at home and healthier more often. I can make the Wednesday night yoga class every Wednesday. I can return to a schedule and inject some order into my life.
- I will plan spa days/weekends with friends.
One of my most favorite things to do, and LA is full of spas that I have not yet tried. The spa at the Argyle is supposed to be phenomenal, and you better believe I will book the spa suite for an extra 15 minutes AND get the “brazilian blowout” that was featured on Daily Candy. A spa day or weekend at the Parker Palm Springs would also be fantastic. I heard there is also a spa in Santa Monica that, like, buries you in wood shavings for detoxing. How fun would that be?!
I know this list doesn’t seem like much, but it is a lot to me. And I intend to add on to in the future, right now it is just the first few things that popped into my head. Already I feel more in control!
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03.20.07
Posted in L.A. Adventures at 12:27 pm by Nicole
One of the best things about living in LA is its close proximity to Vegas. Vegas is anything goes, pure fun. It is lounging by the pool during the day, having a fantastic dinner, and then partying it up at night. It is smearing on lip balm and moisturizer at all times because the air is so dry that it hurts.
I am going to Vegas this weekend and I cannot wait!
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03.15.07
Posted in L.A. Adventures at 4:27 pm by Nicole
Ok, well, enough with the melancholy here on this blog. This is supposed to be 100 Different Things, right? And not 100 Different Ways to Over-Analyze the Fact that He’s Not Calling Because He May Be Sleeping with Debbie From Work. (Or, you know, what ever. I’m not bitter.) So here is something I am actually happy and excited about:
My Bliss Triple Oxygen Facial tonight. I KNOW! A facial on a weeknight? How entirely decadent. But the truth is that I am long overdue for a facial and this was the soonest they could take me. I love the fact that the Bliss Spa is open until 9pm every day, including Sundays. And I must admit that their brazilian wax is indeed less painful than others I have tried. (I also like that they use a new popsicle stick every single time they dip into the wax. It’s so hygienic.)
Before Bliss came to LA, I thought it was just a cheesy, overrated spa. I mean, their products are way too over-hyped, they have those ridiculous cutesy names, and practically everything smells like their signature “lemon sage” scent, which is okay, but…sort of smells like Bath and Body Works. Which reminds me of college (remember when EVERYONE wore sun-ripened raspberry or country apple?).
So anyway. Yes. The triple oxygen. My face glows for at least a week after I get it. And I don’t break out afterwards, like you do sometimes after facials. (The oxygen is supposed to also be anti-bacterial.) I highly recommend it.
I also recommend going straight down to the bar after the facial (don’t laugh, it will be a proper drinking hour by then) and ordering a cocktail (I like Grey Goose Pear and Sprite). You know, to continue the good times. Because we deserve it.
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