Friday
During the day, my Little and I were interviewed for a film United Jewish Communities was shooting. My Little loved it, except for the times she complained she was bored or tired or hungry. Which was most of the time. I don’t think she’ll be getting her SAG card anytime soon.

That night, I went over to my sister’s where I spent about 20 minutes on the phone with a very nice man in India. When we hung up, my sister’s wireless router was properly configured. [ed. note: Can anyone confirm that the only way to have a constant wireless connection on a Mac is by investing in Base Station for the Mac? She currently has to sign on to the network every time she turns her computer on.] Nevermind, it’s working.

Saturday
I slept till 10:30! While waiting for the DirecTV guy to show up with my new DVR receiver (not nearly as good as the Tivo one) for the living room, I cleaned my apartment, went through my file folder and found tax returns from 1999 (I really am my dad’s child), got in a fight with the shredder and admitted defeat, paid bills, and relaxed.

After my date with the DirecTV guy, I met up with Jen for our much anticipated and very fun girls’ night of dinner and a movie. We saw Knocked Up which was absolutely hysterical. Unfortunately, when I got home my tummy hurt (I think from the Ben & Jerry’s frozen yogurt) and I was not a happy person.

Sunday
I was supposed to have an outing with my Little, and since she isn’t doing very well in her English class, we were going to make vocab flashcards. Unfortunately, her mom deemed it more important to take her to a local street fair, so our outing was canceled. So…I got to sleep in again (!) and went to the market where I saw two men shopping in bathrobes. Then I came home and did laundry, chatted with a couple of neighbors, read six chapters in a book I’m thoroughly enjoying, and just relaxed. Now I’m going to scour the Internet for a yummy low-point dinner, watch TV, and continue being lazy. These are the kind of Sundays I’ve been missing.

I’m almost done with Say When by Elizabeth Berg and am really enjoying it. It’s written by a woman from a man’s perspective, and I think the author did a wonderful job of getting into the character’s mind.

So, what are you reading? And if you’ve read a book that someone posted about in the comments in part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, part eight, or part nine, let us know!

From building management:

Thermal Source has notified us that construction* at Constellation and Avenue of the Stars has caused a large rupture of the chilled water line for Century City. Crews are working to fix the situation. HVAC will not be provided for the next 24 hours. Updates will follow as we are notified by Thermal Source.

How hot is it in my office you ask? Oh, around 90 degrees. Do we get to go home? No. Fortunately, I know people who know people so I can work in the server room (it has its own air conditioner), so it’s just warm, rather than hot in here.

And now, they’re giving away ice cream in the lobby. Yes, seriously.

*Stupid Century City condo construction to blame. First they take away our farmer’s market, now our air conditioning. Now I must return to sweating.

So thanks to Knocked Up, I’ve been having earthquake nightmares for the past couple of nights. During the earthquake scene in the movie, I had to look away because I knew it would bother me–I still remember the Northridge earthquake like it was yesterday. I guess living at the epicenter during an earthquake can do that to you.
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I got my blood work back earlier this week–cholesterol is super super low, iron is back in the normal range (no more iron pills, woohoo!), but now…now we must deal with my high SED rate. It’s been high for a few years, ever since that horrible migraine from hell, and I had blood work done five million times for it, but then I got Mono and had my tonsillectomy and sorta forgot about it. Hah, no more. In the past week, I’ve had blood work done twice. Enough, enough, enough.
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It appears a Coffee Bean has opened (or is opening soon) at my Ralphs. Just what we need–three Coffee Beans within one mile.
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Does anyone know what the deal is with the Kathy Griffin profile on Jdate? She (well, her 27-year-old self?) shows up in my search. For men. I thought originally that Jdate had been hacked. But no, it’s some kind of lame marketing campaign.
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In TV news: I’ve been watching The Next Food Network Star and I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to get into it. The Top Chef special was kinda lame. And the Reunited: Real World Vegas show is really boring. On the other hand, I’ve also been watching Big Medicine on TLC which is quite interesting.
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Tuesday marked the completion of my first week counting points; I lost 2.8 pounds. I know the first week is always the biggest loss, so I’m really only expecting to lose one pound a week from now on. I want to lose 10-15 more total. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) 15 pounds is somewhat easy to hide when you’re 5′9″. And not wearing a bathing suit.

And congrats to my best friend and WW buddy Julie, who lost this week too!
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Yesterday at work sucked big time because it was five million degrees in my office. Then, I got home and my wireless Internet connection decided to not work. Then, my new DirecTV receiver decided to reboot. I hope the air is working when I get into the office this morning. Unfortunately, rumor has is that it won’t be. Ugh.
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This week’s question: What is your favorite word and why? I know some of you told me when I asked for your least favorite word, but feel free to share again.

Friday
Friday morning I woke up around 5:00 a.m. to the sound of about a million helicopters. Fire? No. Accident? No. Criminal on the loose? Sorta. All the noise was for stupid Paris Hilton. I went to work a very unhappy and tired person. Thank god the air conditioning was back on.

That night I baked cupcakes for my sister’s friend’s baby shower. I made both chocolate and vanilla, and both chocolate and buttercream frosting and my sister came over for dinner and helped me frost. The ones for the shower were decorated with store bought sugar booties and baby bottles, and the rejects got jimmies and fondant. They came out really cute.

Saturday
I slept in, then headed out to the Valley for a day of pampering. I got a much needed manicure and pedicure, and my hair cut and colored. When I got home, I finally installed iTunes on my new computer and downloaded one of the songs I keep hearing on the radio every day–Hey Delilah (I could only find the video for Thou Shalt Kill). Of course, I’ll probably still ended up buying the whole album on Amazon, rather than downloading it on iTunes. I need to get out of that habit.

After bumming around a bit, I headed to the Westside to meet up with Jen and her husband to see Waitress. Since I was a few minutes early, I sat down to people watch and noticed Randi and Michael a few yards away. They looked so cute together. We chatted until I spotted my friends and headed to the movie. Which by the way, was amazing. After the movie we had dinner then I came home and couldn’t fall asleep so I watched two hours of Flip That House.

Sunday
I slept in again, went to Target and Trader Joe’s (both of which were empty because everyone was at the Gay Pride Parade, and it was so nice to shop in such uncrowded stores!), then came home for lunch. I decided I’d head over to The Grove to return some stuff to Nordstrom. Sadly, I never made it. On the way down La Brea, I noticed this horribly high-pitched loud noise and thought it was the car next to me. When I turned my radio down, I realized it was coming from my car.

I pulled over, reversed into a parking spot, and the noise stopped. Then when I put it back in drive and went forward, the noise started again. I began crying and called my dad, nevermind that he’s in San Diego and can’t really do anything for me. I ended up calling AAA and having it towed to the repair shop. The AAA guy said he’s 90% sure it has something to do with some part being too tight on my front brakes. Yes, the front brakes I had replaced four months ago. I’ll know for sure tomorrow morning, but I’m hoping that’s all it is. And I’m hoping even more that they’re still under warranty, but of course, the paperwork is in my glovebox.

So the AAA guy took me home, and I’m here wondering if I should continue putting money into my seven-year-old Honda or if I should just give in and buy the CRV.

In other broken news, my six-week-old Bluetooth headset is completely dead, but fortunately still under warranty, and my three-year-old digital camera is dying a slow death. I need to win the lottery.

I have read this meme on a ton of blogs and kept waiting to be tagged. So after whining in Dori’s comments, she tagged me. Little did I remember, I participated in a similar five weird habits about myself meme a couple of years ago. Oops.

Anyway, here are eight random facts/habits about me:

1. I hate hate hate having dishes in the sink before I go to bed. I would rather spend a few extra minutes washing them than leave them in the sink until the next day.
2. I feel naked without my watch. When I was in college, my watch died on the day of a final exam so I went out and bought one that morning.
3. I start a lot of projects but never finish them. They always seem like a good idea at the time, then I just get bored or uninspired and they sit there half completed.
4. About once a year, I’ll look up online the value of some of the baseball cards my dad and I saved from when I was a kid. Nothing is worth much.
5. I have awesome hearing. When I’m in a loud restaurant, I can always hear the music when no one else can.
6. When I’m baking (and not in a rush), I like to measure out all of the ingredients before I start mixing things. I’m organized like that.
7. I can fall asleep anywhere–in a room with a blaring TV, in a car, on an airplane–it doesn’t matter where I am as long as I’m tired.
8. Strangers love me. I could be at the market, the gas station, shopping, or walking down the street, and someone will stop and talk to me. I usually find out way too much about random people.

I’m supposed to tag two people, but I’m tagging anyone who wants to do it. Leave a comment if you do it on your blog!

*Schoolhouse Rock!

The car ended up costing me nothing aside from visits to two local repair shops. I’ll spare you the boring details, but there are conflicting reports as to the cause of the noise. Shop one (where the AAA guy towed my car, because we couldn’t get to my shop due to the parade street closures) said there was too much metallic in the front brakes causing something (I forgot what exactly) to build up on the rotor. Shop two (my regular shop) said that shop one is on drugs, and the the likely story is that a rock or something got lodged between the brake and um, something else (again, I have no clue) which caused the noise, and was probably dislodged when the tire was removed, thus, no noise. Either way, my brakes are fine and I spent no money. However, I will probably end up buying the CRV this fall.
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In WW news, Julie and I both lost weight! She dropped another pound, and I dropped another two. We will be hitting the spa in no time!

In related news, I have two new favorite foods: Smart Ones Cookie Dough Sundaes and Trader Joe’s Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas. Good stuff.
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Next week, Jen and I are going to see Armistead Maupin speak at the Central Library downtown. Any recommendations for inexpensive dinner places nearby?
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I had a Jdate last night. He was nice. If he asks me out again, I’d probably go. If he doesn’t, I won’t be bummed. Again, it was a nice reminder that Jdates can be fun and not painful.
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I bought this camera. A pretty good deal at $216. I love that you don’t have to pay tax or shipping on Amazon.
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In blog news, this blog has become really boring and my readership has tanked. Who knew chronic strep and cancelled tonsillectomies made for more page hits. Hopefully I’ll become inspired again soon so you can read about things other than what I did over the weekend and how my weight loss is going.
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This week’s question: If you could only listen to one CD for the rest of your life, what CD would it be? And mixed tapes ones don’t count.

Friday
During the day I found out that the proposal I submitted to bake desserts for an event hosted by Lori’s work was approved. This means I will be baking for 150 people. There is no way to describe how excited I am!

That night I went to the market then came home and relaxed. Boring, I know.

Saturday
Slept in then took a nice walk/jog around my neighborhood. Ran errands, relaxed, cleaned, then waited for my parents and sister to come over. Spent the rest of the night just hanging out with my family.

Sunday
Had breakfast at Jinky’s with the family and my sister’s boyfriend before heading over to the Concours on Rodeo car show, just like we’ve done every year for the past four (?) years. My dad really enjoyed this year’s show because the focus was on California cars and every two seconds he’d share a little snippet of his car owning history with us. I also got to see the actual car used in the Dukes of Hazzard TV show. That was kinda cool.

After walking around a hot Beverly Hills for a few hours, my mom, sister, and I cooled off inside Gap and Victoria’s Secret while my dad checked out North Face and Roots. Some shopping was done, then we were on our way back to Hollywood. We changed clothes and headed out to dinner at Vivoli, our new favorite Italian place in the neighborhood. The food is amazing and the staff is awesome; if you live close by, check it out.

Following dinner, we went to Angelina for old school frozen yogurt. None of the “natural” frozen yogurt stuff for me, blech. Anyway, while in the yogurt shop, another customer asked us where we were visiting from. When my sister and I told her we lived in Hollywood and my parents lived in San Diego, she commented that it’s odd to see a family together in a frozen yogurt shop in West Hollywood. So true. When my mom mentioned their 38th wedding anniversary is next week, the woman was even more surprised. Happy early anniversary to you guys!

As always, it was a fun weekend filled with beautiful weather and delicious food. Happy Father’s Day dad, I love you!

I know, it’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these! Some recent searches that landed people here:

• matt dillon does not look his age
• i want to play lotto for tomorrow and i want you to help me and give me some lucky numbers
• the word panties
• bus aliens dating
• boob massage
• best excuses for cancelling surgery
• thanks to jdate i now hate jewish women
• sunset and vine apartments nude live cam
• littles cherries sex
• i went to bed bath and beyond with my mom. how miserable is that
• how to dispose food sour cream toilet
• magic shell chocolate penis
• what are the chances that we engage in anything more than just conversation?

As always, write a story using at least five of the search phrases. And to all the new people, how did you get here?

This week has been fun and busy! Tuesday after work was my Little’s middle school graduation at, get this–the Luxe Hotel in Bel Air. The ceremony for 38 kids somehow last two and a half hours and was way too long.

Last night, Jen and I saw Armistead Maupin at the Central Library downtown. It was my first visit there; the place is huge and I can’t wait to go back. Maupin was really cool–he read a chapter, answered a bunch of questions, and signed books. I’m looking forward to reading his latest book, Michael Tolliver Lives, which focuses on the main character (Michael Tolliver) from the Tales of the City series (which if you haven’t read, I highly suggest you should). As a side note, it took me an hour and fifteen minutes to get into downtown from Century City after work, and about 15 minutes to get home to Hollywood that night. Traffic is lame.

And finally, tonight is a fundraiser (involving chocolate) for Big Brothers Big Sisters which I will be attending.
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Am I the only one that didn’t know the In-N-Out secret menu is on their website? Actually, it is very possible that I’m the only one who didn’t know this considering I haven’t eaten red meat since I was 17.
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Street Scene is at the Del Mar Fairgrounds this year. How convenient, because my parents happen to live in Del Mar; how inconvenient because once again, it’s over the high holidays. Depending on Sunday’s lineup, and if they decide to sell single day tickets, I may check it out.
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In TV news, I haven’t watched Top Chef yet so please don’t ruin it for me. However, I did watch Age of Love and it’s exactly the trash reality TV fix I need this summer.
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In WW news, neither Julie nor I lost weight this week. She stayed exactly the same and I gained 0.2 pounds. I knew I should have peed before I weighed in.
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I just have to mention how nice it is to not be sick and to actually feel like a normal person again. As horrible as the tonsillectomy recovery was, it was so worth it. I will never take my health for granted.
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This week’s question: What’s the worst pickup line you’ve ever used/heard?

This weekend, I:

• Walked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I bumped into two neighbors, my sister, and Spiderman, then the next day, got caught in a mob of people attending an immigration rally in Hollywood.
• Went to Surfas, Trader Joe’s, and Ralphs (which by the way, is a huge mess at the moment).
• Was asked twice where I got this shirt and once where I got these bags.
• Bought these Boca Burgers but opened the box to find these. Weird.
• Caught up on my Tivo’d shows, including Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star
• Had plans with DG that got canceled because he’s sick.
• Made a boatload of cookie dough for Tuesday’s baking gig.
• Colored and cut out fondant flowers for cupcakes for Tuesday’s baking gig. My fingers are now blue.
• Briefly saw my sister.
• Did four loads of laundry and cleaned my apartment.

Obviously, it was a much needed at home weekend. I hope yours was more exciting than mine.

What woke me up the past five days:

• “Oh! Oh! Ohhh!” coming from the apartment building next door.
• The trash truck.
• My neighbor sneezing.
• Helicopters.
• Gardeners. What they are mowing, I have no idea.

What did not wake me up the past five days:

• My alarm clock.

What is wrong with this picture?

I finally got my iPod Shuffle and it’s so cute! It only took me close to forever to transfer my 10+ gigs of music from my old laptop onto my new one so I put some of it on the Shuffle. Anyway, I hate the earbuds and my ENT said they’re not good for your ears. Any suggestions for a different kind that will still be comfortable with a hat or sunglasses?
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I took Tuesday off of work this week to bake cookies and cupcakes for a friend’s work event. Everything came out delicious and lovely, but it’s made me re-think this whole baking-for-money thing. Instead of fun, it’s becoming stressful and way too time consuming. I’m torn.
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I didn’t weigh in on Tuesday; I’ve decided to switch to Saturday mornings instead. I never know what my after work schedule is like, but I usually know what I’m doing on Saturday mornings. Stay tuned.
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In Top Chef news (and to finally answer Dori’s question), my favorites are Brian, Dale, and CJ. Who do you all like?
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Last night Paris Hilton was giving her Larry King Live interview (am I the only one who didn’t watch it?) right down the street from where Paul McCartney was to perform a “secret” show. Only in LA.
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Tonight I’m going to see the LA Film Festival screening of Hot Rod at the Ford Amphitheatre with Jen and her husband. Since it’s outdoors, we’re doing the picnic dinner thing (and I made chocolate chip bar cookies)–it should be a lot of fun and the weather should be perfect.

This week’s question: Where did you go to school and what kind of degree do you have?