12 of 12: March 2011

Wow. It's been a long time since I've blogged, much less since I did 12 of 12. I've actually done it the past couple of months, but never have gotten around to uploading the pictures. Maybe I'll do that in the next little bit. Or maybe not. We'll see.

I very nearly didn't do 12 of 12 this month. Given what had just happened a day before, it just felt a little wrong to be taking pictures of my trip to Starbucks. But I realized that the whole point of 12 of 12 is to recognize the little moments (and blessings) of the day. I'm thankful that I was able to wake up on Saturday morning under a down comforter or to stop at Starbucks on my way through Hollywood. And I do so recognizing that there are tens of thousands of people who aren't as lucky.

9:25 a.m. - Happy Saturday.

I expected to wake up to bright sunshine, but it was actually a bit on the cloudy side. On a side note, I've recently discovered the wonders of the sleep mask (seen on my bed). Love, love, love. When I was a child, my Poppy would always give my siblings and me his toiletry kits from his frequent airline travels. It usually included one of the masks, but as a little kid, being completely in the dark was scary stuff! I usually preferred the big travel bags to use for my Barbies.


10:36 a.m. - Starbucks Fix.

For the first time in my life, I gave up something for Lent. It wasn't like I abstained in years past, but it wasn't something that was generally done in the Baptist church. I've been going to a different denomination of church, though, and it was encouraged. I even went to my first Ash Wednesday service, which I found to be an incredibly moving experience. This year, I gave up soda for Lent, so I've rekindled my love for tea. Maleficent showed me the wonders of the tea latte and I'm now kind of addicted, which is why I found myself at Starbucks at 10:36 a.m. on a Saturday morning...


10:49 a.m. - Doughboys!

I can't tell you how bummed I was when Doughboys closed up shop a few years ago. They had one of the best red velvet cakes -- if not the best -- in town, not to mention one of my favorite guilty pleasures: the PBC&B sandwich. Lest you think I'm a glutton, I was able to turn that into three meals. Three delightfully, yummy, wonderful meals... I decided to pick up the sandwich (my first in years!) on the way to my office.


12:56 p.m. - And here's the pitch...

I participated in an online pitch fest on Saturday on behalf of my company. I enjoy these things, but they're especially fun when they're online. Technology amazes me. I decided to drive to Century City and do this one from my office. It's got to be more impressive than seeing the wall in my living room, right?


2:50 - Dirty Jobs: Not just a show on the Discovery Channel.

Since I was already in the office, I decided to go ahead and tackle the department's mini-fridge, which is housed in my boss' office. It was pretty gross and smelly (as everyone always said when retrieving a soda), but it was good to have it done.


4:43 p.m. - Nap Time.

When I think of all the time as a child that I whined about having to take a nap, I marvel at my childish stupidity. Naps are one of the coolest things of all time. OF ALL TIME.


7:15 p.m. - The Birthday Girl.

Saturday was Jan and Jess' birthdays, so Maleficent and I popped over to Bar Celona in Pasadena for some tapas and drinks to celebrate. Jan is seriously one of my favorite people and I'm so thankful that I know her.


8:11 p.m. - Remains of the (Birth)day.

The tapas were eaten, the white sangria drank and now it was time to order dessert. If you ever plan on visiting Bar Celona, I do recommend the churros and chocolate. Cinammon-sugary goodness!


9:21 p.m. - I love JUICE!

Name the reference... After the birthday dinner, we made a late-ish night trip to Fresh & Easy in Eagle Rock. Gotta love the The Fresh and the Easy, my favorite east-side soap opera.


10:13 p.m. - I made this!

That has nothing to do with this picture. Sorry. Just a habit borne of many years of being an avid viewer of The X-Files... Anyway... I had to read a book for work, so I snuggled up into the glider rocking chair my Nana got me for my high school graduation. It's still one of my favorite items of furniture. In other news, I really need to put some stuff on my bedroom walls. Yikes!


11:06 p.m. - Ready for Magic.

Laying out my lanyard and my Mouse Ears for my trip to Disneyland with Maleficent and Liz B on Sunday. I am nearly 32 years old, but the idea of our yearly Two-fer/Sonic trip just turns me into an eight-year-old. Hence the first-day-of-school treatment.


11:36 p.m. - March Madness, Saturday Night Live style.

The last thing I did before putting the sleep mask on again and going to sleep was watch the opening to Saturday Night Live, as Twitter was abuzz with how great the monologue was. I guess I just don't get Zach Galifianakis -- the monologue was funny, yes, but I wasn't exactly falling out of bed laughing at it. I will, however, never look at Annie the same way again. Loved this March Madness skit, though. Fred Armisen as Gaddafi makes me laugh.

12 of 12: August 2010

Late, but not quite as late as last month... It's 12 of 12 time!

12:56 a.m. - I love my life.

Started August 12 off at Warner Brothers Studios. This was taken as I headed back to my car after a long, but wonderful, night. Thanks, Norm!


9:08 a.m. - Off to work.
My shadow as I walk across the median on my street to my car.


10:40 a.m. - Breakfast.

A breakfast sandwich from The Stand. This is the first time on Thursday that I'd feel disgusting. I had ordered a simple bagel and cream cheese, but they were out of cream cheese. I ended up opting for the same thing Kyle had ordered. Tasty, but gross.


1:55 p.m. - One good decision.

I decided to be "good" and eat one of my Lean Cuisines for lunch. First, I had to find it...


3:14 p.m. - Unsolicited laughs.

Every now and then, we'll get unsolicited e-mails/query letters via mail. This one had a teaser on the outside of the envelope that made me giggle. Marlys is my Nana's name -- and the envelope came from her native Minnesota. I was tickled for a few hours. (I'm not allowed to open them, so I had to pass it on to business affairs.)


7:47 p.m. - Objects in the side-view mirror may be grosser than they appear.

I'd had a hankerin' for McNuggets for a couple of days, so I decided to treat myself. Yummy, but I almost immediately started to feel disgusting. I think I've hit my McDonald's quota for the next 243 days or so.


8:15 p.m. - Terror Babies?

This is the fancy pants McDonald's near Century City, which explains the TV. They had Anderson Cooper on and the whole interview was pretty darn disturbing, even with no sound. I mean, subject matter, yeah, but the interview subject was acting crazy and combative.


8:35 p.m. - La Cienega just failed.

Traffic was still crappy at 8:30 at night. It could have been worse, but as you can see on my dashboard, I was only going 33 miles per hour. In a 65-70 mile per hour zone. Like Ricky Bobby, I like to go fast!


9:04 p.m. - My shadow returns home.

We saw my shadow as I left for work. This is the slightly more exhausted -- and disgusting-feeling from dinner -- shadow as I returned home.


10:30 p.m. - When it rains, it pours.

Maybe it's just something that happens to me, but I seem to run out of things at the same time. It's both frustrating and expensive. The latest be added to the list of things to be replaced is my make-up remover. Darn it anyway.


11:05 p.m. - Polka dots!

Packing up my work bag for the next day. This is the case for my laptop. I love it -- probably because it reminds me of my Lite Brite from back in the day.


11:06 p.m. - Though his mind is not for rent, don't put him down as arrogant.

Rush's "Tom Sawyer" came up on shuffle as I was about to turn out the light. It was an interesting little bookend.


Have a great week, everyone!

Twelve of Twelve. A month late.

Hey! I've been busy, okay? I went to pull the pictures off of the camera on the 13th and the battery died halfway through the process and then I just...forgot. I'm defending myself to Mel. I'm crazypants.

Better late than never, right? I'm going to pretend you just said yes...

(As always, if you don't know what this 12 of 12 business is all about, check out Chad Darnell's site here. Do it anyway.)

7:06 a.m. - Late start.

Breakfast in the car. Late leaving, which means an abbreviated workout. Better than nothing, I suppose...


7:42 a.m. - The gym.

This picture makes me so, so sad. Because I love this gym. LOVE. But I'm canceling the membership because it's no longer doable with my budget. But it's amazing. If you're a gazillionare, you should totally be working out here. This particular day, I got there in time for a quick workout and a shower. Wooo.


11:03 a.m. - Apple crumble.

The night before, I had wanted to make an apple pie. The problem was that it got to be so late in the evening that the entire apple pie-making process was going to be too much. So, I did the quick fix. APPLE CRUMBLE. It was good. I don't need this stuff around the house (because I will eat it), so I took the rest to work. I got in trouble with Maleficent for doing so, though.


12:53 p.m. - Southern girl lunch.

Because I was feeling all Southern and Texan and stuff the weekend prior, I made oven barbequed chicken, baked beans, and potato salad. Along with the afore-mentioned apple crumble. Of course, there was an intense amount of leftovers, so I took some to work. Bad idea. Two words: FOOD COMA.


1:42 p.m. - Undercovers Blues.

Except how can you be blue when Boris Kodjoe is in your office complex? I mean, honestly. Yes, Undercovers was filming in Century Park and it was totally cool.


3:35 p.m. - Starbucks!

Time for iced tea. The barista is so nice -- she's one of the new kids on the block.


4:34 p.m. - Meetings!

Water for the meeting I had to go and set up. Much better than that nasty Arrowhead stuff. Team Sparkletts! (Even though, yes, I realize this is Crystal Geyser.)


7:36 p.m. - Glee!

(That was meant to be heard in the chirpy singy voice from the "previouslies" in which they're all, "Here's what you missed on...GLEE!")

Liz T. is a member of the Paley Center for Media and was able to procure tickets for us to an "Inside the Writers' Room" event at the Writers Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills. Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan told us all what it was like to write an episode of Glee. Muy interesting.


9:25 p.m. - The Triv.

I didn't think I was actually going to be able to make it to trivia due to the previous event, however it let out in plenty of time. So, I joined up with my crew for some pub trivia magic.


11:32 p.m. - L.A. in a nutshell.

The 10E/110N transition ramp has been closed for construction intermittently over the past few months, so one has to detour. This means driving through another construction area where they seem to be working on light rail tracks. I have to say that I do approve of this -- even if it makes driving late at night exceptionally wonky.


11:50 p.m. - Coziness. Again.

I need to be more creative. I've just realized that I take a picture of my bedroom pretty much every month. It's kind of like Zankou in that way. But yeah. This is where I sleep and it's awesome. I love that it's clean in this picture. I had dusted and vacuumed in preparation for my vacation because I love coming home to a clean place.


11:59 p.m. - Community!

So, because there was a panel at Comic Con -- and because "Modern Warfare" was one of the most brilliant things I saw on television (er, Hulu) last season -- I decided that I needed to watch Community in its entirety. I wasn't a fan of the pilot, so I never really picked the show up. But I'm so glad I decided to go back and rewatch. So, so funny.


I have so much more to say, but I'll save that for another shmoopy post. Because is it ever schmoopy. Be warned.

Quite possibly the most boring 12 of 12 EVER.

Sorry, y'all. I'm serious. There's a lot of time on the computer(s), some rehashed shots, and a bit of bunching. Still, it was a pretty good day. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

(Confused about what 12 of 12 is? Check out Chad's blog, yo.)

6:49 a.m. - Coziness.

Well, I was supposed to get up by 6:15 to get ready to head to the gym, but that didn't happen. My music on my alarm clock wasn't loud enough, I guess. So, at 6:49 a.m., I woke up, snapped a picture and went back to sleep for 45 minutes. It was kind of awesome. I do love how cozy my bedroom is.


8:50 a.m. - Last minute Twitter check.

(Yes, I know I've used a similar shot at least once. Sorry.) There was some news on my feed that made me smile as I left. Also, my computer is pretty. Two years later and I'm still in love.


9:13 a.m. - Detour?!

Thankfully, it was a pretty one. It even has a couple of bonus four-way stops! They're (finally) repaving Robinson St., so I had to cut down the hill via Micheltorrena. This took me by one of my favorite spots in my neighborhood -- an empty lot with one heckuva view. (Look! It's downtown!) This place is especially inspirational at night when lights are twinkling and you're listening to Loney Dear's "I Was Only Going Out." (Side note: I really want them to play Loney Dear music every time James Loney is announced at the Dodger games. Though I suppose that's not exactly jock-worthy. Whatevs.)


10:45 a.m. - Organizing.

Organization is important. Even on the computer. There is such a thing as e-clutter.


12 noon - It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Emmy screener time!


1:06 p.m. - This is my life.

Long story long, my boss had a notes meeting at 1 p.m. The place where I ordered food from usually insists that customers allow 45 minutes for delivery. So, I ordered food at 12:15 p.m. Guess what time the food showed up? 12:30. So, once the person my boss was meeting with arrived, I found myself in the kitchen, taking hamburger patties off of buns, placing them on disposable plates, and reheating food in the microwave. If you're keeping score at home, this is my boss' veggie burger patty making the rounds (bah-dum-CHING!) in the microwave.


4:39 p.m. - Taking care of business.

Had to send this out to someone yesterday. That is all. These aren't the droids you're looking for. They're free to go about their business. Move along.


5:11 p.m. - Nearly-free tea.

My mom bought me Santa brought me one of those delightful ceramic Starbucks cups for Christmas. (How cute is the striped straw?) I love it because I get a discount when I go downstairs for my afternoon shaken-black-iced-tea-no-sweetener. Somehow, it only cost me 50 cents yesterday! 'Manda likey.


7:02 p.m. - Collaborate and listen!

On my way to my car in the parking garage at work. I've been waiting all week to take this picture.


7:35 p.m. - Old Hollywood.

Sorry for the bunching, but things were pretty on my commute last night and I wanted to take a picture. This is Santa Monica Blvd. at Cole in Hollywood.


7:49 p.m. - Zankouuuuu!

I think this is (at least) the third time Zankou has made its way into my 12-of-12 pictures. I'm sensing a pattern. Anyway, because I'd had a good day, Allison and I decided to have some celebratory take-out for dinner.


10:01 p.m. - My writing cocoon.

Man, I really need to straighten up my room. Hello there, jammies.


One last thing: This song rocks my life. I've heard it two days in a row on Morning Becomes Eclectic. It. Is. Awesome. (Are you shocked to know that Sleigh Bells are on M.I.A.'s label?)

Have a great weekend, all!

12,000 Words for April 2010

It's 12 of 12 time! If you don't know what it is, check out creator Chad Darnell's blog for the skinny. This month's collection features a lot of bunching and bad jokes/puns. Just be prepared.

7:44 a.m. - Blergh.

Time to get going. Oy.


8:51 a.m. - Mom's words of encouragement.

My mom sent me a very sweet, very silly text message that made me laugh. She's as big of a dork as I am. Can't wait to see her (and all of my parents) in Monterey in a couple of weeks.


9:04 a.m. - The Haul.

Looking at the sheer amount of crap that had to go down to my car. My computer/work bag. My bag of snacks and lunches for the week. Two boxes of cupcakes. My purse. And, not shown, my gym bag.


12:41 p.m. - Prepping.

Reading a treatment before my staff meeting starts. Excuse the hoodie -- it's cold in my office! There's no excuse for the hair...


3:01 p.m. - Checking for messages.

After getting out of our epic staff meeting, I had to check to see if I had any messages from a certain (818) number. I had nothing. At all.


7:24 p.m. - Poquito Mas-ome.

Thanks to a suggestion from my mom, a quick, healthy dinner before heading west. Plus, I had leftovers for lunch today. Traditional vegetarian burrito with pinto beans and no salsa (cut in half, please) for the win!


7:54 p.m. - Rite Aid.

Had to make a last minute stop on my way to O'Brien's. No, I did not purchase a blond wig or fashion Contact paper into a mini-skirt. I can not promise that I didn't use a Southern accent, though. And if you don't know what I'm referencing, you should be ashamed of yourself. That's right. I said it.


8:45 p.m. - You have a book! In a bar!

Getting some not-really-light-but-still-very-enjoyable reading in before my trivia team members arrive. I'm not okay with how puffy my fingers look.


9:51 p.m. - Cheers!

Or, as we say at pub trivia, SOCIAL! I've been thinking about setting up this shot all week and it turned out as awesome as I'd hoped.


11:39 p.m. - Oh, L.A.

Traffic backed up at the 10E/110N interchange. At nearly midnight. Per the SigAlert (that I did not check in my car...honest!), there was a silver Kia involved in an accident.


11:59 p.m. - Burning off a picture.

I realized that it was 11:59 and I still lacked two of my twelve pictures. Sorry for the bunching... And the ridiculous face!


12:00 midnight - Night shirt.

This is the only swag I kept from WonderCon. I have no desire to see Inception, but a shirt that says "Dream Machine" just seems perfect for pajamas in the same way that I had the posters for Sleepless in Seattle and While You Were Sleeping hanging over my bed in college.


Have a great week, all!