Highlights of My Day

You know what THEY say. THEY are always saying something. A talkative bunch THEY are. They say we are never happy with what we have. If we have straight hair, we want curly hair (flashback to bad 80's perms...EWWWW) (I almost posted a scary pic of myself with 80's hair, but had second thoughts. Some things should be left to the imagination.)

If we have dark hair, we are not sure what color to change it to, so we put in multiple colored highlights. Lighter ones, no darker, wait...a little lighter. Ok...a few blonde ones and some brown ones....

My hair started to resemble that of Rainbow Brite's (another 80's flashback). For those of you who don't remember her or for those of you born in the 80's (geez, I'm old) See pic below:

There were different versions of her with funky red and rainbow colored highlights. (I'm getting off subject here), but that's what my hair resembled with all the touch ups. So after careful review of myself in a mirror (which I don't care to do often), and feeling inspired by my fellow brunette icons: Sex and The City's Charlotte, Mila Kunis, Catherine Zeta Jones and Mary Louise Parker, I visited my local Rite Aid, spent a whopping $9.99 on a bottle of Dark Brown Loreal Preference Hair Color and poured it on. Within minutes, twenty five to be exact, my highlights were gone and I was back to my old self.

I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not...but it works for now...'til the next visit to the hairdresser or Rite Aid.

Thanks...

Thank you to all the people I meet every day that influence me in some way, who teach without knowing, who inspire without trying, who give without expectations, who care without ambivalence, who are open and allow others in, who are authentic in an often cold and dark world. Thank you for not knowing all you do all the time.

Mamma Mia, What Were They Thinking ?

A Greek Island with breath taking views, upbeat music, a sappy love story, Meryl Streep and spandex. You would think with all this you have the formula for a great musical. Some critics have even gone as far as calling it "the next Grease". Hey guys, don't press your luck.

Mamma Mia, starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Amanda Seyfried did not quite live up to its hype. After only a few minutes into the film, I thought anyone that can sit through this is a "super trooper" as Abba would say. I cringed every time someone opened their mouth to sing with Meryl Streep excluded. Not due to the fact that her voice was on pitch, but it was likable. Come on, she is Meryl Streep after all. Streep's acting was right on and believable as usual. She is at a point in her career. I respect her decision to do this role, she has nothing to prove to anyone any more. I expected Brosnan, on the other hand, at any moment to blurt out "Bond, James Bond". He was clad in "Bond-like" attire and could not make me believe him as anything other than the 007 himself.

After the opening credits, I waited for the movie to pick up its pace. It was slow-moving and the musical numbers seemed forced. The movie did not do the staged play justice, which was fun and addicting. The play would make anyone want to run out and buy Abba's greatest hits (which I did). The songs in the movie sounded like mere Karaoke versions of Abba. In today's modern world, a lot could be done to improve the musical numbers at the very least. Auto Tune anyone?

Overall, I left the movie thinking two things 1) wow, good for Meryl Streep. I still see her in the same light. And 2) I couldn't help but think "BLUE". Everything was blue about the movie, the set, the ocean and the way the film left me feeling.

Mama Drama

For the sake of anonymity, let us just say that a certain mom was at a certain park in Burbank, California today with her son. The scene was frightful. Not the children running around, but the lack of concern on the moms' faces when their child would trip, hit or steal a toy from another child. But then again, how could they be concerned about their child when their cell phones, or new blue-tooth head sets were glued to their ears. Thanks to the new Cali law of now cell phones while driving, moms are reverting to making calls during play time with their children. To give the moms the benefit of the doubt, I'm sure they all were on extremely important calls. I even heard one mom say into thin air, aka her bluetooth headset, "You're kidding me, she cut her hair that short."

Although, I'd like to take credit for the creativity of that last line, I simply can't. It was a true statement said by a bluetoothed mother whose son happened to be stealing every toy my son wanted to play with and aggressively doing so.

After removing my son from the situation, because I'm sure it wouldn't have been nice to simply push her son off the toys, I walked away only to encounter further mama drama by another mom. Kudos to this mom, she was not on a cell phone, but instead talking the ear off of someone she befriended at the park about how she needs a break. The "befriendee" was clearly not paying attention. So, I followed my son into the sand box and weplopped down to build a sand castle, when loud mouth mommy comes over to tell me I should make sure that my son doesn't steal toys from other kids and pay attention. I'm sorry, but we were minding our own damn biz lady. You must have us confused for the bluetoothed beasts picnicking on the grass yards away from where their children actually are.

I was so upset that I took my son out of the sandbox and out of the park. Just as I was nearing my car I noticed another mother doing the same. We stood around and chatted that WE the moms who were actually playing with our kids in the sandbox where kicked out of the park. The Bluetoothed Burbank Beasts enjoyed the rest of their afternoon on their cell phones. while their kids bruised each other, themselves and learned Darwin's theory of survival.

Mommyfied

While holding shopping bags in one hand, and pushing a stroller with the other, I ran toward the restrooms at Target with my newly-potty-trained-needing-to-go-now son. Just when I hit the door and tried to maneuver to open it with my foot while avoiding the handle (you don't know who's restroom-ridden hands have touched it), the door flew open to reveal two trendy Hannah Montana/Jonas Brother-loving teenagers girls. They were so busy texting on their rhinestone-covered Sidekicks that we almost crashed, if it hadn't been for one of the girls shouting, "watch out for that lady."

"That Lady"? When did I go from "girl" to "lady"? Merriam-Webster defines lady as "a woman having proprietary rights or authority especially as a feudal superior." When did I become superior and to whom? Where is the line of superiority drawn? Was I an instant lady because I was there with my son? Did I look like a lady? What does a lady look like? Me, apparently.

When did this happen? Was it when I stopped listening to my Tiffany and Debbie Gibson cassettes that I grew older? Maybe I should've kept listening to them or at least ripped them as MP3s so I wouldn't have to listen to them on my Sony Walkman any more, but on my iPod instead.

I graciously said "thank you" and held the door with my foot (washing it off soon after). The girls smiled a "you're welcome" politely and walked away. Just as my foot couldn't hold the door any more and my son reminded me that he needed to go now, the door began to close and I heard one of the girls mumble to her friends...."that lady didn't look like a mom."

Instead of thinking too much, I took it as a compliment. I don't look like a mom, but I am one and wouldn't have it any other way!!!!

Typing In The Rain

Why hasn't anyone come up with a waterproof laptop computer? Come on. I mean, think of all the uses for this computer. You could type in the rain, underwater while scuba diving, or in the bath or shower (which is where I came up with this idea).

In a Seinfeld episode, Kramer installs a garbage disposal in his bathtub so that he can conserve water by showering and peeling his vegetables at the same time. Why not shower and type at the same time? For some reason I get creative ideas when I'm in the shower. Some people sing. I think. This is the time that I'm alone with my thoughts, no distractions, just soap suds and me.

As I was showering tonight (this is a blog about personal information, right?) I came up with a story idea. I had to quickly exit the shower, soap suds and all, to find my laptop and type away my ideas before I would forget them. If I had a waterproof laptop, I could have just brought it into the shower with me and typed away. If I had a garbage disposal, I could have prepared tomorrow night's dinner as well.

I'm a big believer in time management and utilizing each moment as efficiently as possible. Next time someone is in the market to invent something, think of the waterproof laptop or maybe even a waterless shower, so I can use my own laptop. It wouldn't be good to let creativity go down the drain.

Twenty-Ninth Annual Gift of Life Tribute Celebration Dinner

George Lopez and his wife Ann hosted the twenty-ninth annual Gift of Life Tribute Celebration Dinner at the Century Plaza Hotel on May 18th to hono Samuel L. Jackson and his wife Latanya Richardson.  Jackson was honored with a Humanitarian award for his involvement with the National Kidney Foundation.  "They've (Jackson and Richardson) always done stuff for other people and have been great supporters of my wife Ann and I," said Lopez.

Jackson's involvement is a personal one, as his niece had been ill for a long time and awaiting a transplant.  He made a plea at last year's gala to find a donor for her.  A match was found: one of his cousins.  "Now she has joined the one kidney club, as I call it," joked Ann, who gave her husban Lopez on of her kidneys in 2005, the same year he was diagnosed with kidney disease.

For full story go to Gift of Life