Read the full story

Hello! Pat Robertson AND Sharon Stone too!

IT IS NEVER APPROPRIATE TO SAY THAT A TRAGEDY IS DESERVED.

I fully understand there are differences in our philosophies, religions and faiths, but your beliefs are never NEVER NEVER an excuse to blame others for the terrible suffering that has befallen them through no control of their own. To blame a group of people for an action, whether you say its Devil Worship or Being Mean to your Pal The Dahli Lama, that they perhaps did not even support or participate in and then say that because of said action, God, Karma, The Universe has punished them, is to open yourself up for extreme scrutiny…  Apparently the two of you are perfect. I am sure that if God/Nature/Karma or whoever you want to believe is in control played by those rules, there would be not a building left standing on the planet.

By the rules of both of these beliefs, you are called to Love and bring Peace..

Pat: Let God speak for himself, I am sure he can….

Sharon: I doubt the DL is calling you a close friend anymore..

As I explore the possibilities of the new media I am amazed by its potential. I’ve tweeted over 10,000 tweets in the past year and have over 5,000 twitter followers .. which has been a blast. Twitter is like Breaking News on crack. If you are on twitter, or checking twitter the moment something important happens in the world, you are instantly aware – no need to wait till the evening news, or till you get a coffee break and check cnn.com. That is, if you are following the right people, in many parts of the world, who are well connected and like to RT (Re-Tweet) useful news and information… but in the midst of using the tool to my purpose (connection, news, film groups, events) I happen to have lost many of my real life friends and co-workers (not LOST as in we never speak.. LOST as in they choose NOT to follow me on twitter because I “tweet too much”.) Go Figure! LOL

Most of them seem to hold the belief that the media was mainly meant to convey the kind of daily prattle you might text to a small group of buddies now and then. “Going to be at Townie Bar tonight, who wants to come by and meet me?” , “Hoodies are on sale at the Old Navy on Main Street..” – that sort of thing. To be honest, I am rather exclusive when it comes to letting people know where I am and inviting people to join me out or keep tabs on me and though I play with the GPS apps on my iphone alot, I am pretty sure that I don’t want to be the story that will be on the news soon about the chick who tweeted all her where abouts and was stalked and killed by a follower… That having been said, I do play Foursquare, a game where you check in everywhere you go and earn badges or become the Mayor of said places.. but I always check in after I have already left the location, as a stalker prevention method. So back to these Twitter Snobs.. I wonder… Are there sets of people using twitter completely differently.. and is there a right way and a wrong way, as they propose? I, of course, like everyone else am annoyed by the spammers who DM you about getting more followers or buying some herbal drink from Trump Enterprises.. LOL.. but I doubt those tweeple are real people anyway…

A friend recently commented that my making a facebook fan page for myself made him feel like facebook was turning into MySpace.. of course this friend is a kid just out of college and we all know that they remember the days when facebook was simply a “we went or are going to the same school” dating service… (come on, you know its true). The founder has been very smart in realizing the tool allows for business connections to be made in a non-invasive manner and the powerful matrix allows content to rise quickly from obscurity to super fame in under a day through “sharing”.Think about Susan Boyles.. right now some sort of Metal Rooster is trending on popular videos.. it really is a marketing tool, whether you like it or not.. anytime over a billion consumers GIVE someone their data willingly, the founder would be a fool not to use that information to his best advantage. So sorry facebook snobs, but the media is too big NOT to be a marketing machine at this point.. it just wouldn’t make sense..

On the side of keeping in exclusive, I created my fan page because my friends page is shared mainly with people I have met in person and at 197 of those, I am still rather careful. I know there are others who have thousands of “friends” on their facebooks and you know that they simply add anyone and everyone… but you won’t find me snobbing on them.. they are using it to their purpose and not mine.

As for MySpace.. I think it’s main failing was in the lack of ease of use. Alot of people criticized it for a lot of other reasons, but it simply was not easy to use, add to and it was hardly mashable, even now, if you have a wordpress or other blog system, you are hard pressed to get your myspace to integrate.. where as twitter and facebook to a degree are mashable in a hundred ways with ease..

I am rambling here… but let me know what you think. How do you use “Social Media” and what are your pet peeves about how others use it?

At first I wondered why James Cameron, of Titanic and Terminator fame or should we say Infamy, had chosen to make such an ambitious and expensive film and then name it with the same title as a hugely popular Anime Series (AVATAR: The Last Air Bender) but after reading a bit about the technical aspects of the film, it became clear that the dictionary meaning of AVATAR was bound to the story and therefore made sense enough to risk butting heads with another “Sci-Fi” / “Animation” Franchise. Read the full story

Tonight I visited an old stand by for dinner, a little place called “In N Out Burger”. If you aren’t from the West Coast and you have not been to Vegas, you are probably not familiar with the Classic Double-Double, Fries Animal Style, Ice Cream Shakes in those cute little palm tree cups and drive thru lines that wind through parking lots and out into traffic, so let me give you the low-down on this local gem for the next time you are in town!

Number One! You DO want to visit this place if you are in California for any reason and you enjoy an honest-to-goodness burger! (no tofu, chemical meat or pre-frozen stuff here!) everything they make is created from fresh ingredients and prepared in a glass side kitchen for you to watch. I love seeing them cut the fries, actually! :p Read the full story

• As you may know from my last blog, I took a little jaunt down to San Diego last month to meet some friends from out of state at a Conference.  Well, I discovered some new favorite hang outs, hotels, restaurants and bars and of course my stand by favorite – NOBU! YAY!

One of my friends was staying at The U.S. Grant, so I popped over to join him for lunch at the GG Lounge, which was absolutely adorable with a mixture of old world grandeur and modern flair. I especially loved the lighting. I had Caesar Salad and a glass of Rose’ and it was delish followed by a yummy cappuccino with plenty of foam.

The hotel is rather pricey, but it is gorgeous! Huge chandeliers in the lobby and a plethora of lush seating make it a charming space to spend time in if you happen to have to wait for someone who is perpetually late, like my friend DJ, who kept me waiting while he shopped at the Louis Vuitton store across the street!

After lunch, I took a peek at the guest rooms and learned that they all feature original artwork, large bathrooms and duvets – not that I saw them all, but I asked. Duvets are a must must must anywhere I sleep, by the way… Anyway, the rooms were luxurious and well appointed.. well worth the high price tag.

but I wasn’t staying there, so after lunch I headed over to meet my other pal where we were staying, The Ivy! Another really cool hotel with a total eclectic and modern décor and a signature scent known as Ebony… no, you cannot buy it.. (as the kind’ve rude concierge let me know) The lobby features Viao laptops for guests and modern- almost too modern recliners (you feel a little like you are a the dentists office, LOL) but they do have some super hot bars, one with over 300 wines by the glass, this feat is achieved using the new wine station technology that is all the rage at wine stores.

YUM! A nightclub that is open from Thur-Sat. I didnt get to go to that sadly, it looked pretty fun though.. very “look at me” kinda place, so if you are in San Diego and want to dress up and show off, ENVY might be a good place to hang out…

If you are more like me these days though, you want to have a cocktail and chill on sofas with friends while taking in a view, so that is what we did at the IVY ROOF TOP -

It has a modern firepit.. lots of comfortable seating, couches, divans, and of course heat lamps over large outdoor beds.. my friends and I bogarted a bed with a great view and hung out with some wine and talked under the stars, it was a nice relaxing time and I recommend it to those of you who dont like to have to scream over pounding techno to be heard by your friends (well, not all the time anyway) – During the day the rooftop has a great dipping pool (3 feet all around) with cabanas and lots of poshness.. if you are at leisure, it has a great view of the city and the marina… lay around, get tan in the most perfect weather on the planet and the best thing, they have pool side bar service by a great staff.. say hi to Nick! This location is really is worth a look even if you are not staying at The Ivy..

As for the rooms and the stay.. I am of two opinions.. it is really unique and fun… Sexy views, loft style with lots of woods and glass.. a unique ambiance, very modern and edgy. At the same time, the room I had was a little oddly laid out.. as cute as it was, I kept running into this glass panel that separated the sink area and the bedroom because there was an odd angle to the way the door was in relation to the panel and the bed.. it was like you had to make a sharp turn to get in – the shower had a limited sort of shower head and you had to reach in through a glass cut out to turn it on with out getting wet.. as adorable as it is, if you are into functionality and convenienceversus sexy and design heavy, you wouldnt like this location for a stay.. however, if you are looking for a place to impress a lover.. perhaps this is the one :LOL..

The restaurant in the hotel is called The Quarter Kitchen and carries over the modern style of the hotel in a much more functional style with very comfortable chairs – everything is rather square and low – allowing lots of light and a good view across the room. I had the Turkey Club and Truffle Fries (TRUFFLE FRIES I SAID! YUMMMMY – here is a recipe for Truffle French Fries in-case you want to make me some!) quite a lovely little place and if you have a seat by the window, you can watch the city activity which I love, a bit slow on service, but the server was very cute… so I forgave him.

The hotel does provide an Escalade to drive you here and there, which my friend and I made good use of to get down to Seaport Village where we enjoyed a walk along the marina and some coffee and cookies from a little cookie shop, I have been to the seaport before and recommend the Harbor House for yummy dinner and a pretty view or Busters for something more sports barish.. wings and a beer. We were flirted with by the Irish horse carriage driver and spent some time just enjoying the view. A nice place to relax, shop, hang out.. etc…

Now the best time of all was at one of my favorite places to eat when I have the funds or someone to treat me (which was the case this time) NOBU! I have eaten in the NoBu’s in Malibu, Beverly Hills, Hawaii and Las Vegas – my dream (one of many) is to eat at the one in Japan. Some things to try when you want to be WOWed:

• NoBu Ceviche Tacos

• Yellowfin Tuna With Spicy Miso Chips

• Yellow Tail Sashimi with Jalapeno

Some locations have this Kobe thing that you sizzle on the rock.. totally yummy…

I love it with Conundrum, a light blend of white varietals that are crisp and a tad sweet…

Ready to Fall In Love Again – Repost

I was just thinking today about how you can work very hard to get somewhere you never wanted to be… a place in life that really doesn’t suit you.. although you are successfully placed… you are not fulfilled…

Maybe this is what Mary meant when she thought about returning to her former Gothic Girl Self… I don’t know.. I often think lately about the me that would spend days at a time building sets, finding props and casting parts, writing scripts and shooting scenes.. Read the full story

ALPHA DOG!

Ok, So I know I watch a lot of movies. I am a workaholic and being on my lap top at night is really boring unless something is playing in the background – so thanks to a combination of DirectOnDemand, TiVO and Blockbuster.com I am always hooked up with movies. My work hours are – after the gym -> 10:30am (in the office) till about 7pm (leave the office) — drinks & sushi (mostly) with friends til about 9:30pm – 10 to 2am (lap top work and movies). So, i guess that is roughly… 1 to 2 movies per night.. WOW!

So here is a film that might be a good flick for when you want to see something you never saw in the theater, had seen the preview a couple times and thought, “i should see that” but then never did… you can download it or rent it… it’s worth the time.. and Justin Timberlake is in it

This would have been completely contrived, over dramatized and self indulgent, if it wasnt a true story…. Justin Timberlake actually gives a pretty good performance. He doesnt over do it. Very much a GUY film. Basically, A bunch of over priveledged, over-sexed, drugged up white kids playing “Gang like games” in the valley when a fight turns bad and ends in the kidnapping and murder of an innocent teenager… apparently 98 in the valley was quite a time for the “wanna be black ganstas – scene”. in a weird way it reminded me of Zodiac… the style and setting.. there was one scene near the end where the green screen technology totally failed and you could clearly see the actors were not at that location.. but other than that.. worth a rent…

Here is a link to an article on the true story that inspired the movie.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16636250/

I am ready to fall in love again!
Current mood: confident
Category: Life
I was just thinking today about how you can work very hard to get somewhere you never wanted to be… a place in life that really doesn’t suit you.. although you are successfully placed… you are not fulfilled…

Maybe this is what Mary meant when she thought about returning to her former Gothic Girl Self… I don’t know.. I often think lately about the me that would spend days at a time building sets, finding props and casting parts, writing scripts and shooting scenes.. hours on my knees with all sorts of electronics, wires and mics, cameras, vcrs, tvs hooked together into a menagerie of editing and dubbing equipment that I would use to assemble a film that perhaps only a few people would ever see.

OH, how I loved it.. I loved the accidents that caused special effects i would later incorporate on purpose, I loved the running scenes over and over to get the soundtrack right and when a shot was perfect for all the wrong reasons.. the seeing my story come alive-not a page of text, but a moving object with sound and character, though sometimes the characters were all inatimate..

I think about that self suddenly empowered with my current access to highgrade film editing software, and millions of possible viewers via youtube.com, and I wonder… how did i get so far from myself… wny don’t i make films anymore?

why did i go from not understanding the word impossible.. to accepting the probable as fact? I am sure some would say this is called growing up, but when i was a kid.. well, a 13-23 year old, there was nothing but film-making.. nothing but plays, scripts, films.. writing, shooting, stomping off the set when my cast wouldn’t stop laughing during serious takes… this was life… living for the next reason to shout “Action!”

Now I get paid for creatives that help other people sell money to people who want to invest in property and have the American Dream.. it is nothing to be ashamed of… i am a home owner myself… it’s a good business and i am glad to do well at something still so fundamentally creative.. but it doesn’t fill that hole in my heart… it doesn’t feel the way the story does.. coming out of me, onto paper.. onto celluloid.. onto youtube?

There is a basic argument here. I was in an investment seminar recently.. talking stocks and bonds and 401k retirement funds… and it hit me.. i am on this road.. to a safe and plotted life.. work hard, save money, build equity, buy an investment property, get married, have kids, get old.. etc… granted, i support my family, eat very finely, drink even better and party well… a girl has to have some fun… but still… will i ever have a better shot at returning to myself… is the time coming to make the change?

the other road is un-sure.. no steady income, no guaranteed security… can you even pay your mortgage and buy way too many pairs of designer shoes (current count about 200)

and the real question.. can i have both?

I am willing to try…. i want my passion back.. i want to fall in love again… i want the thrill of the story back in my blood, i want to chase that perfect plot line and do more than dream about that Oscar…

Ok.. I talked me into it… ACTION!