Buckeyes, Please!

No, I am not a raging fan of the Ohio Buckeyes, but I sure do have a thing for these, my favorite treat I make only at the holidays!  They were introduced to me as a child in Connecticut by the Nebesky Family.  It never occurred to me that I could actually make them, until my sister started making them around the holidays.


The reaction?  They're peanut butter and chocolate CRACK.  People go NUTS  for them!  Such a huge hit!  Which is great, because leftovers are not exactly figure-friendly...


OK, so I'm officially on vacation today and I'm making these for the second time this holiday season.  If you know me personally, I'm not much of a cook... to say the least, which is why I love this recipe even more... NO COOKING involved!  Here goes:

BUCKEYES

  1 (16 oz.) box confectioners' sugar

1/2 c. melted butter
2 c. peanut butter
3 c. crushed Rice Krispies
1 (12 oz.) bag Nestle's real chocolate morsels
1/2 stick paraffin wax (note: I've NEVER used this, with no problem!)

Mix sugar, butter, peanut butter and Rice Krispies in a large bowl. Blend thoroughly with hands until dough forms. Roll into small balls (approximately 1/4 inch in diameter). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to harden.

Melt the chocolate morsels and paraffin wax together in a double boiler. After the chocolate is melted, use a toothpick to dip each ball into the chocolate, leaving an oval space on top to make it look like an Ohio buckeye. Makes approximately 100 buckeyes.  

Regarding melting the chocolate... I've had more success just melting it in the microwave.   And I probably only put about half the chocolate on each piece compared to the ones pictured (shocking coming from me, I know!)  


Oh!  And, I recommend putting the rice krispies in a ziploc bag and pounding them out to crush them before adding them to the mix - much easier than crushing them within the mix.


Let me know if you make them and how they turn out!!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Love and Lake!

Oh, how lovely was our 3 night trip to Lake Arrowhead!!!  For the first time I actually recognized how lovely it is to not have to worry about making dinner (ahem, though that's rarely a task I rise to the occasion of) how nice it is to not have to do the dishes (though I now have a dishwasher!)  And to not have to wake up early to go anywhere... although when I have to wake up really early to go anywhere, it's usually an acting job, which has me bouncing out of bed with joy :0)


And yes, Phil and I celebrated our second anniversary and I am so happy to have so much love in my life.  So much that I cried two of the three nights because I missed Bailey SO much.


Details?  Three great nights of sleep at the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa.  It was beautiful and wonderful.  Two fantastic breakfasts at Belgian Waffle Works on the lake in Arrowhead Village. Yum!  Thank you to my wonderful manager Joy Stevenson for the tip!  One really cute, super-discounted, new Coach purse from the Coach Outlet in Arrowhead Village and one relaxing, wonderful lemonade mint massage at the Spa of the Pines.  Yay!  Oh, and many, many duck-feeding sessions lakeside.  Um, why do I love to feed the ducks so much?  Especially the baby ones!  What?  Baby?!  


Just kidding! For now...

Home!

Isn't it something the way your surroundings can color the way you see everything?  Well, at least it's true for me, so it's imperative I stay out of jail cells and mental wards as long as possible.  


We have moved!  No more paranoid, mildly insane co-tenant with unruly hair and psychotic dogs dictating when I can do laundry!  Our new home is so beautiful, it makes me so happy every morning that I live there.  Ah, serenity!  


Speaking of serenity, we're off to Lake Arrowhead in a few days to celebrate our two year anniversary!  Last year it was so great to make the trip to "get away from it all."  This year, there's nothing I want to get away from.  Yay new house!!


Have a great weekend everyone!

Yay For Sodium!

Could it be???  A return to blogging?!

Yes.  I started to feel like I was using my blog as an excuse to bitch my heart out, which is just not a good daily practice.  Alas, I've missed it!  I've missed your comments!  So can we talk about SALT?


I loved it.  Not just because it was a relentlessly exciting film, but also because it was an awesome action flick staring a WOMAN.  Yes, I have a thing for women in film.  No, not just the organization that hands out really impressive gift bags at their events, but the actually ladies that grace the screen.  That said, Angelina Jolie in all her glory, was one of about three women who appeared in the movie, among a sea of dudes.  Expected?  Sure, it's the norm.  But what I didn't expect was how thrilled I was to watch a hand-cuffed Angelina Jolie knock out two police officers and take over their cop car in the middle of a high speed chase.  Or... something like that.  But I remember thinking, this is so much more worth watching her do this rather than Bruce Willis!


I also kept picturing her slew of children watching their mom be a total badass, kill dozens of people, kick lots of ass and run what looked like about three marathons.  I once saw my mom chase my sister around the entire perimeter of our backyard with a wooden spoon.  Not the same. 


Alright!  Have a great Sunday night!  I'm ready to watch episode 2 of Mad Men with an open mind.  


Hugs!

Today I Saw...

One of my best, best friends I hadn't seen in a long time, her gorgeous new Mercedes, Bailey happily go on a longer than usual walk, that Women in Film does a really great job with their gift bags (such a score, thank you Erin!!), that all of my pants still fit after my enchilada fiesta today (shocking!), yesterday's  Friday Night Lights, Frances McDormand's first film Blood Simple which exceeded my expectations, some neighbors, an episode of "Dexter" which I'm really getting into (thank you Netflix via the Wii!!), and that filing for unemployment really isn't as frustrating as I make it out to be.  


Not a bad Saturday! Cheers!

Bring On the Clouds!

June Gloom?  How is that possible?  I don't have to be in a classroom again until July 6th!


And truth be told, I'm a huge fan of cloud cover.  We are inundated with sunshine in Los Angeles.  Enough already!  I see this relief as a well-deserved  treat before we get swallowed by the sun and heat of July and August in SoCal.  


Did I mention I don't have air conditioning?  In fact, never have in LA.  Landlords always say, "AC?  Oh, you don't need it by the beach."  Um, FALSE!  I so believe in the healing powers of central air conditioning.  


And this my friends, is why my body rejects the word, "valley."


Have a fantastically cloudy Friday!

Congrats, Thanks, and Good-bye...

Well, believe it or not I have little to say today as I am feeling... ick!  We'll leave it at that.


However, a huge congrats to Working Bug Productions for being selected as Independent Webisode Finalists by the Producers Guild of America for the Producers Challenge!  Woo-hoo!  Episode One of Road to the Altar, entitled "The Wedding Planner" (guest starring myself!) will screen tonight at Fox Studios alongside other finalists including Horrible People, True Blood, and Heroes.  Yay!  So looking forward to it!


Would also like to send huge congratulations out to my wonderful, talented, very good friend Jen Nikolaisen who is shooting a commercial for Aviva Life Insurance today!  GO JEN!!

And thank you so much to my wonderful students for a great last day of class, not to mention a generous gift!  I will miss you until July 6th!


And I would be remiss not to say good-bye to my second favorite Golden Girl, Rue McClanahan.  You were so lovely and loved and will always be fondly remembered for your fearless talent!  Indeed, thank you for being a friend.

Real Writing Housewives

It occurred to me today... I HAVE NOTHING TO WATCH!  Everything I love has either had a series or season finale!  


What to do?  OK, fine the Real Housewives are still on, but man, New Jersey is super weak... A pack of uneducated, lame women who sometimes get drunk and violent.  For the most part, much like watching paint dry.


New York, always good, but about to end.  Although, that should be one hell of a season finale.  And speaking of the Real Housewives, while browsing on Amazon.com yesterday, I came across "Body by Bethenny," which just looks like yoga (don't think Bethenny Frankel had much to do with creating yoga), but what I also noticed, was how high the Skinny Girl's books were rated by Amazoners.  I saw at least four books by Bethenny Frankel, all with an average rating of about 4 out of 5 stars.  


Then I noticed that even mildly retarded, table flipping, New Jersey Mafia wife, Theresa Giudice has a cookbook out called, Skinny Italian: Eatit and Enjoy it Live La Bella Vita and Look Great, Too!


Also carries impressive ratings!  And hey!  She can write!  Well, perhaps that's true, but I'm pretty sure the other name on the book, Heather Maclean was responsible for any successful verb-subject agreement that occurs on those pages.  


Then!  New York Housewife Alex McCord's  book she co-wrote with exceedingly metrosexual husband Simon, Little Kids, Big City: Tales from a Real House in New York City.  Um, they live in Brooklyn.  Hope that's part of an explained joke on the inside cover.  Huge ratings!  Five stars out of 5!!!


Wait a minute... are amazon reviewers just really partial to Real Housewives and anything, any of them, might write or sling?   A tad more research gave me the answer, which is a very clear NO.


Yep, two more New York Housewives have books out, which Amazoners... do not like.  First we have the much anticipated and mocked, Class with the Countess, by Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, which recived an average rating of 2 out of 5 stars.  Nah, I wouldn't want to read it either, and she's so damn condescending on the show, I'm sure I'd hate every page of it.


Lastly I glanced at Jill Zarin's ratings for the book she co-wrote with her mother and sister, Secrets of a Jewish Mother: Real Advice, Real Stories, Real Love.  Yep, well not much real love from Amazon reviewers who gave the read a 2 out of 5 star rating.  Most of the reviewers gave it 1 star and were rather scathing, calling the advice "cold" and "calculating."  


There you have it: a show on Bravo does not equal successful book reviews.


However!  That is NO reason to start recording music!  Step away from the microphone LuAnn!! 

Smile?

Like so many other people with teeth, I often try to find ways of making my smile whiter and brighter.  Being a huge fan of coffee and red wine makes regular attention to the choppers necessary.


In the past I've gone to a dentist for that, "brighter smile in an hour" treatment (popular one now is called Zoom), which I found equally effective, expensive and painful!  Decided it wasn't for me, my budget, or pain threshold.


I used a 5-minute teeth bleaching gel called, Plus White, which offered me acceptable results given the time investment, but the improvement lasted little longer than the time investment.


Then of course, I've tried Crest Whitestrips, which I've managed to swallow in the past when I fell asleep waiting for the magic to happen.  Recently I bought the CVS generic version (we're still in a recession kids, don't judge), which is supposed to dissolve in 5-7 minutes.  Well, that's true if dissolving means the strip on your teeth turns into a gooey mess that you have to wipe off.


Anyone else have an affordable suggestion?  My smile is waiting.


Happy long weekend!

Go Ahead, Spam Me

Anyone else still puzzled at how your spam box fills with urgent letters from Nigeria, requesting your help, in God's name?


I don't understand.  Email is nothing new.  Spam is an expected nuisance, like children selling candy outside grocery stores and post offices.  Personally I've seen at least two different "Dateline" episodes exposing the Reverend collecting fees before he can send the moron's inheritance.  This "practice" is no secret!


Let's see, here are the scenarios used I can recall the best: a distant relative of yours has passed and left you a large inheritance for which you need to pay fees before you can receive said enormous dollar amount, someone has to transfer money from their country to yours and would be happy to pay you a hefty fee if in God's name,you'll help out, someone is ill and needs your charitable financial help.


People still fall for this.  The last Dateline expose' I saw on the topic, featured an educated woman in Connecticut who bought the inheritance bait.  She lost $200,000.00 in "fees" even though Chris Hansen confronted the Nigerian ambassador living in Greenville, SC.


Maybe what's more difficult to understand than why people still fall for this, is why from time to time I can't help but respond to these emails with a well-deserved, "Go f*** yourself."


Leave it to me.

Weeding

I have a newfound love for a show that's not new, but new to me.  I love "Weeds"!  Thanks to the ingenious Netflix-via-Wii phenomena entering my living room, access to every episode of every season is at my disposal on demand.  Love!

Yes, it goes flying into the absurd at times, but that doesn't bother me.  In fact, most of the time, I'd rather not see real-life difficult, problematic scenarios played out on my TV.  A widowed mother of two from the suburbs, chauffeuring two thugs in a drive-by shooting, that's what my viewing time needs.  Over the past few days, I've actually thought, "Sure, this is bad, but nothing near as bad as what Nancy goes through!" 


Ridiculous?  Yes, but mostly, so am I.


Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Shooting the Head

After a number of years in this business, which will go undisclosed, I feel comfortable saying it doesn't matter who you go to for headshots, if you don't bring yourself to the picture, you won't get "the shot."  But what the hell does that mean?  


It means that your headshot should capture your eyes, show something going on behind your eyes, and completely look like you.  Not some character you think you should be playing, just you.  And with all I know and thought I knew about headshots, I was more than enlightened when I watched this SAG Foundation video, "Your Headshot From Every Angle," taped earlier this month.


Guests included casting directors Stuart Stone, Marci Liroff,  and Geralyn Flood and photographers Sara Corwin, Alan Weissman, and Kevin Major Howard.  Among many other things, I learned that Sara Corwin is really defensive about her high prices and Kevyn Major Howard might be slightly off-balance and/or an evangelist.


Bottom line, if you're an actor, it's totally worth it to see what they're saying.

Idolizing Crystal

Very excited to find out who the next American Idol will be!  


I watch the performances every week (fast forwarding through the plethora of Ford infomercials, starring the top 12), but I only vote on the night of the finale.  


Can I be honest? (Of course I can, it's my blog!)  I voted for Crystal Bowersox and here's why;  1. If she were to make an album (or when she makes an album), I wouldn't buy the whole thing but I'd likely download some of her songs from iTunes.  2. I think she's really talented and unique.  3. She's a woman.  4. I've watched the show every week this season and I still can't remember what the guy's name is she's up against tonight.  He might be forgettable.


It's true, I'm something of a feminist and that does bleed over into the way I vote.  Of course, were she not likable she'd not be getting my support.    


That said, one man I have great respect for has sadly given his last sharp-tongued, often painfully honest, critique.  I don't care what anyone says, Simon Cowell was spot on in his assessments of performances throughout American Idol.  Most of them were just too American to accept what was coming out of his mouth.


GO CRYSTAL!!!  

Need a Break, Lake Now!

The law of attraction is really at work with me today.  I am OVERWHELMED  with all of my end of the semester stuff, finals, submitting my films, writing meetings, meetings, work, meetings, work, attendance records, work, work, UGH!  So, of course today, when I'm hurrying, arms full, with a trail of students behind me to get from class to the office so I can help them with registration, a random woman stops me and the following ensues:


A: Hey, you a teacher?
B: Yes!  Sorry, I...
A: What do you teach?
B: English as a Second Language.
A: Can I have some worksheets on, uh... subject-verb agreement?
B: Uh... well, I don't have any on me (and are you kidding me?)
A: Can you mail some to me at 5211 Lake...
B: (Is this really happening?)  Uh... you'll need to write that down.


OK, what the hell just happened?  Phil must have sensed my stress.  An hour later he forwarded me our anniversary getaway reservation confirmation for Lake Arrowhead Resort.  Ahh.


It's true.  This too shall pass!

My Edgy Princess Unleashed!

Recently a friend sent me probably the coolest and most creative gift I've ever received.  It was an

Edgy Princess Ring, which are handmade rings from France, made of glass.  I am head over heels IN LOVE WITH IT!!


From the moment I opened the box, the experience began.  The packaging was so carefully and beautifully created in their signature chocolate brown box with coordinating flower embellishments, I almost didn't want to open it!.  So special!  I just kept thinking what a GREAT and 
special gift to receive!



I love big rings and silver, so this was perfect for me.  Then I put it on.  Love ensued.  It fit my finger perfectly, but all the rings are size adjustable at the base, so you never have to worry about size when you're ordering.  But what's cool is, because you adjust them at the base, they don't look at all like adjustable rings.  They just look and feel really sturdy.  And awesome!

I had never seen anything quite like it, so 
I had to visit the website to find out more about this uber cool company.  The Edgy Princess mission is "to bring our fabulous finds to every hip woman and girl out there.  Why?  Because there is an edgy princess inside us all."  Yay!!

                                         Mine is the Square Classic-Silver, but they have lots of other styles in lots of different colors.  Other shapes include round, dome, rectangular, flower, flat, and plate.  What's inside?  Mine is filled with silver beads.  Others are filled with colored water, pop art designs and water, and beads of different colors and shapes.  So damn cool and chic!!

Cost?  The rings range from $30 to $40.  Not bad for my favorite accessory of all time.

One drawback.  Everyone wants to know what's on your finger!  I had to stop class twice on Thursday to answer questions about what was on my hand and where it could be purchased.  I've also been stopped twice, once in the grocery store and once walking into an audition, about my ring.  I'm getting used to it!


OK, two drawbacks, when you go to their website it is SO hard to pick one from the collection!  They're all just too unique and fabulous!


And, turns out the folks at Edgy Princess are not just good at making amazing, eye-catching rings, but they're good people, too.  A portion of all sales goes to charity.  


Want more information?  You can check out the Edgy Princess Facebook Page page or reviews on Yelp to see what other Edgy Princesses have to say about their rings.  


Thank you Edgy Princess.  I am unofficially a little bit cooler now.  It's a start.

LOST Without You

Does anyone else fear that that TV as we know it, is about to cease to be?  Tonight we see the series finale of "LOST."  One of my favorite shows for years now, which understandably needs to come to a close at some point, but it's still so sad to see it go.  And I could probably handle that more easily if we weren't also about to say good-bye to "24,"  also a favorite since the pilot.  I guess Jack Bauer needs kick ass elsewhere.  


And perhaps I don't have a lot of support on this, but I LOVED ABC's "Flash Forward," which is sadly ending its first and last season this year.  And don't get me started on FX's "Damages."  It physically pains me to think I'll never get to see what the next move for Patty Hewes will be.


And then there's talk that "The Big Bang Theory" is the next "Friends."  Are you kidding me?  I watched that show once and could barely make it to the credits.  That's supposed to be good TV these days??


Oh, but not to worry.  The CW has announced a midseason series!  It's a reality show called, "Shedding for the Wedding."  Sure to be as engaging and inspiring as "The Bachelor" spinoff, "More to Love."  


Sigh.


Good-bye LOST.  I'm really pissed that you killed off Sun and Jin, but you were a great show.  Make another good one, J.J.  And fast!

Youthinize Me. Or Coolinize?

Last week I said to my boss, who is, well... older than me (could maybe be my mom), "Hey look, we have almost the same shoes on!"  To which she responded, "Aren't you a little young for that?"  I looked down at the brown mary jane- style flats I'd bought at Ross. Point well taken.  I'm starting to have the style of a middle aged teacher.  That's not so good.  


Then there's the issue of what my agents keep saying about my headshots.  "We want to see something more hip, contemporary.  A more modern hairstyle."


Message received.  I need a new hairstyle and if possible, a stylist.


Operation makeover!  Stay tuned!!

One Tall, Pretty Glass of Crazy, Please.

Well, it's never nice to poke fun at the mentally ill, unless the mentally ill is a bitchy New York, ex-model, socialite-wanna-be who made the very unfortunate decision to display herself to the world on Bravo's "Real Housewives of New York."  In case you missed last night's episode, Kelly Bensimon had a full-out unraveling session.  Disturbing to watch someone talk in non-sensical terms, accuse another cast member of trying to kill her (a tiny, pregnant woman, no less) and accusing yet another of channeling the devil.


Yes, it was more sad than it was entertaining.  Her response?  "I had a breakthrough, not a breakdown."    Whatever makes the voices in your head happy, Kelly.  Now go do a cartwheel.


She also added that her "breakthrough" incident "makes for awesome TV.  Can't argue there, but what about about her public perception?  I recently heard a quote from Jill Zarin suggesting that it was best for Kelly not to return to the show because it's not doing anything positive for her.  I couldn't agree more.


There you go ladies, looks aren't everything.  Being mentally sound and not inflicting fear of what you might do, every time you walk into a room is highly underrated.

What if it Was You?

Sometimes I forget how lucky we are to be Americans.  If you ask any one of my ESL students from various countries, including but not limited to; South Korea, Sri Lanka, Mexico, the Ivory Coast and Egypt, all of them will give you roughly the same answer.  "I wanted more opportunities and a better life."  

Sure, there are some cases in certain fields where Americans might leave America for the same reason, but really, we have pretty much everything here.


The immigration issue our country faces really comes down to one thing: Were you born in this country?   Well, I was born in Massachusetts, a far cry from California.  What if I was stuck in Massachusetts for the rest of my life?  With no way to legally move somewhere else?  What if I couldn't find a job in the field I wanted to go into in Massachusetts?  What If I couldn't find any job at all?  Or what if I could find a job, but it didn't pay enough to feed me or family or put a roof over our heads?   What then?  Would I try to move somewhere else (possibly Connecticut) even if it was illegal?  Well for me, the answer is yes.


Nothing against the great state of Massachusetts, by the way!


I realize the seriousness of the immigration issue, but what none of us from the United States ever have to consider is, what if it was you?  Would you do the same thing?

Good Wednesday To You!

So grateful today!  My wonderful students gave me a lovely send off for my last day at the mental health facility in Watts.  Doughnuts and gifts, what more could I ask for?  Oh yeah, Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings off now until July 6th.  Umm... YAY! 


Also SO grateful for my wonderful manager Joy Stevenson who is celebrating her birthday today!  Yay Joy!  Couldn't ask for someone better to be on my team.


AND I'm so grateful for my writing/producing partner Leigh Hall!  We're putting the finishing touches on our first feature film script (comedy, but of course)  and couldn't be more optimistic about it!  Yay Leigh!


Lastly so grateful for and proud of Phil Han, whose recruiting business ZenSource is taking off!  Oh, of course it is!  It's Phil!


Yay today!!!

Good, Sheen Fun

While I'm not much of a "Charlie Sheen the person fan" (much like the people he marries), I'm not opposed to the work he does.  He's funny, and though I'm continuously shocked to see how well "Two and a Half Men" does in the ratings, time and time again, I was even more floored when I heard the flurry of rumors about Sheen's imminent departure from the only thing in his life that seemed to be working.

Why the hell would he leave?  Not enough money?  Really?  Honestly, how much money does someone need in this world?  This is a question that's been on my mind since I saw Michael Moore's documentary Capitalism: A Love Story.  How many homes, cars, boats and Manolo Blahniks does a person need before they feel fulfilled?  The highest paid actor on TV, Charlie Sheen made $825,000 per episode last season.  If he wasn't considering a full departure from acting altogether and it wasn't about money (so he claims), what was the two and a half month hold up all about?  

Well, Charlie Sheen fans can all rest easy knowing "Two and a Half Men" will return for two more seasons.  And although living large on his inflated paycheck, still facing domestic violence charges from a Christmas Holiday hassle (weapons included), with his wife Brooke Mueller, Sheen is living Lohan.  And that's not good.

Getting My Phil

AWFULLY  busy day but I'd like to take a moment to thank Phil Han's parents for bringing him into the world 36 years ago today.  And his dad for liking me, because that could really have gone either way.

I love you Phil.  My life is happier because you're in it.  Not to mention Bailey's life.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(OK fine, that's really too short to count as a blog entry, but we'll all have to live with it.  Good night!)

What Was That?

I've been guilty of correcting people's English without invitation to do so... I can't help it!  It's my job to correct English.  I can't help but resist the need to correct the speaker when I hear, "I haven't went there before."  NOOO!!  You haven't gone there before.  Respect your past participles, people.

This is why I've had such a hard time listening to somewhat intelligent women on The Real Housewives of New York use their version of the present perfect tense.  Or collectively fail to use it and use the present tense instead.
WHAT???


The first few times, I thought for sure I heard that wrong.  She didn't say, "We know each other for 20 years."  Clearly she wasn't enunciating and she actually, maybe through some blurry wine buzz said, "We've known each other for 20 years."


At last season's reunion show when Kelly was crying about her ex-boyfriend accusing her of domestic violence, she complained about the harm to her reputation, "My name!  My name that I built since I'm a kid!"  NO!  Since you were a kid, you idiot.


But it's NOT just her!  All of them do it and it drives me nuts.  What's going on in English classes in New York schools?  Or is it a regional dialect that so offends the ear?  Ugh... 

Veggie Me?

For some time now I've put off reading the book Skinny Bitch because I know it will turn me into at least a vegetarian, if not a vegan, and I just don't know if I could afford that.  Not to mention how much it will disrupt my family routine.


I mean sure, I could stop eating meat, but then Phil and I would have to prepare two separate meals for dinner most of the time.  And what about my Golden Retriever, Bailey?  He's turning 13 this year.  Am I supposed to expect him to suddenly change everything he's ever known about what's delicious, too?


Today I accidentally walked in the room while Phil was watching the documentary Food Inc.  Couldn't take it.  I love animals and I can't handle the way they're being treated or the way big business and law makers fail to protect us from the dangers of producing bigger, faster food.  


I have so much respect for people like actor Larry Sullivan, who is dedicated to animal rights and living vegan, and also happens to be one of the nicest people in the world.  Here are some quotes from his Facebook page:


"Saving one animal won't change the world...but it will surely change the world for that one animal."


"I don’t ask people to not eat animals to be a jerk or controlling...I ask because the animals can’t." 


Would love to hear from anyone who's made this huge, important change.  How much did the cost of eating go up and how difficult was it to integrate this into your life?

What's With the Hellergies?

I've had allergies about as long as I've had a nose, so I've certainly learned to cope with them over the years.  But this year, even I have to say, UGH.  This sucks!  


Allergy veterans like myself know all to well when their symptoms are different from that of a cold, and I can say without hesitation, I am not flu ridden or down with a bad cold, but suffering from the worst allergies I've ever experienced (of course, not taking into account the time my face was literally covered, eyes swollen shut, due to an allergic reaction to poison ivy).  


Seasonal allergies are never pleasant, but I remember once asking a student why she'd been absent for two months and she told me, "I had allergies."  Huh.  I remember thinking, if that were a reason to stay home, I'd be... dead?


But this year is oh so special.  Today a congested, weary-looking student told me she was going home early because her allergies were terrible, to which I whole-heartedly gave her my blessing.  I saw a friend yesterday, who has also been a long-time allergy sufferer, but first-timer in breaking out in hives.  UGH!  And me?  Well I'm hitting my inhaler at an unprecedented rate due to my allergy-induced asthma, and simply feeling like crap.  And so tired! 


What the hell?  Is this a scam?  Did the Benadryl company have something to do with this?  I need another nap.

Be a Doll

Most people are critical of themselves in some way.  Actors are commonly their own biggest critics, in particular.  And maybe that's because perception means so much when you're trying to get hired as a character in a story.  But isn't it funny to sometimes find out how other people perceive you?


I teach adults, so I guess I listen to what they say about me more closely and take it more seriously than I would kids.  On Tuesday, I saw two ladies in the front row whispering and smiling.  I could tell they were talking about me, so I interrupted (kidding, of course).  "Hey, what's going on over there?"  They giggled, "We were saying you look like a doll."  


Today a different student in the front row interrupted my class to say, "You look like Barbie.  Do people tell you that?"  All I could think was, "In your country, is Barbie a flat-chested, unmarried woman in her 30s, who teaches in Watts part-time and is considering bankruptcy?"


Of course, didn't say that.  I just laughed and smiled... even said, "Uh..thank you" despite how stupid it felt.


And it's not that I can't take a compliment.  I just can't take one seriously that I don't think applies to me at all.


Later this afternoon I remembered something.  That student with the Barbie comment had a headache today... because she'd forgotten her glasses.  Ah-hah!  Not Barbie, just a blonde blur.  OK, that I can accept that.

The Sidewalk Mafia

I know I've voiced my thoughts before on mothers and strollers, but seriously, is it safe for anyone to have a foot on a sidewalk in Santa Monica without fear of losing a toe or at least some skin, to a pair of Cadillac strollers and snobby mommies, power walking behind them?  

And it's not the fact that they're taking up the whole sidewalk, it's the thoroughly unapologetic attitude towards inconveniencing others.  In my experience, nine times out of ten, a bratty kid on a skateboard is far more likely to  "sorry, please, and thank you" his way around me when he comes flying down the sidewalk, than a mother pushing a stroller.  


Today as I was putting money in the meter, I got nailed in the back of my foot just above my heel by a Sidewalk Mafia member's oversized stroller.  Even when I let out an "Ouch!" as snobby mommy wizzed by, I got not even a pause, much less an apology.  


Honestly, if you want to be bitch, don't do it in front of your kids.  It's much harder for me to call you names in public that way.


It's the Sidewalk Mafia.  It's their territory, and don't you dare get in their strolling way.  Or you just might get whacked.  On the foot. 

Really Lame Housewives

I hate to slam one of my favorite pastimes, but does anyone else think the Real Housewives of New Jersey has become a real snoozefest?


I mean, does anyone really care if some brain-dead mafia wife is making pasta sauce in her garage?  And last night?  Just one lame, salad-eating, contrived argument scene after another.  And I can honestly say, even I don't see the point.


Highlight? Last night we saw a sleazy modeling agent tell psycho-Danielle, "You're a really good mom." (shouldn't even she have been suspicious?) This was prompted by the funneling of her 14-year-old daughter into the safe and nurturing modeling business.  Hopefully her daughter won't also follow in her mother's pesky, cocaine and kidnapping with loaded weapons, footsteps (and yes, that was fabulous and shocking, as far as storylines go, but way overused now).


And this is just catty and mean, but what happened to Dina?  Was the lighting in the baby store really that bad, or did she age like 15 years since last season?


OK, OK... need a new pastime.