a_karls

I can't believe I haven't posted in 5 months. Well, in a way I can. The past five months are always my busiest for work so I guess it makes sense. But the busiest time is behind me now and I can finally concentrate on getting a life again. Bullet point (dashes) update ahead -

- I got a new car! A Ford Fusion Hybrid and I love it. Absolutely love it! Way more than I liked my Audi. It doesn't handle quite as nicely as the Audi (still handles well though), but that is to be expected. It does surpass the Audi in pretty much all other areas though. The best part is that I filled up on gas a month ago and I still have a quarter of a tank left. My tank is the same size as my Audi's was and back then I needed to get gas every 11-12 days, so this is a major improvement.

- I started doing Stampin' Up classes with masheek2 (who is a pro and has been going for a long time) and I'm finding it really awesome to be crafty sometimes. Now I just need to get myself into being crafty at home as well. It's really relaxing.

- I've been baking a lot more now that I have my own kitchen which makes me super happy. I keep bringing in new things to the office because I don't want to eat everything myself. People here are quite pleased with the arrangement.

- With my new car, I have a 6 month trial of Sirius satellite radio and I found this radio show on Cosmo Radio called Cocktails with Patrick that I'm totally in love with now. I wish I could listen online without having to pay for it (because I think it's stupid that you're already paying $15 a month (and it's NOT commercial free) and now they want another $3 a month to listen online - I don't think so!) or you could download the show each day from the Sirius website because it's on from 3-6pm east cost time and that just doesn't work for me on the west coast. The have some replays (but they only replay 2 of the 3 hours) so I'm sometimes able to catch part of the show but I'm never in the car for all three hours and I would love to listen to the whole thing every day. Does anyone else listen to this show? It's awesome! I'd totally pay for Sirius if they offered a way for me to download this show each day, but since they don't, I won't. They should make it more like BBC Radio where the episodes of shows are available for a few days for download.

- masheek2 and I are slowly working our way through a list of LA area restaurants that we've been wanting to try. There are so many restaurants here that you could probably eat at a new one every day for years and never repeat.

- I leave for my annual two week vacation in about 3 weeks. I'm going to South Dakota (Badlands and Mt. Rushmore National Parks), Wyoming (Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks) and Colorado (mountains!!!!) I've never been to this area of the country but I'm excited to see it. I believe that next year's trip will be Italy. It's time to go back overseas.

- Comic-Con is just around the corner as well. That is always a highlight of my year. This year crazyjay is joining angel_q and me again. We're happy to have her back!

- There are probably other things to report on but this seems like a good amount of updates. I've been making time to read my friendslist so that I can keep up with what is happening, but I haven't always had time to comment on everything. I am reading though!

First of all - if you got an email from my yahoo address, it wasn't from me. Tons of my friends have been getting hacked and I think one of the messages I have been receiving must have finally gotten access to my address book. So just delete it and move on. Thanks! lol I'm not sure if this has anything to do with getting cable internet yesterday (I've always had DSL before) but who knows? Maybe I just need to transition to gmail for good as it seems that yahoo is the server constantly getting hacked because my friends with yahoo addresses are the ones who have been spamming me. Maybe it's time to contact yahoo to see what they have to say. My password is just random numbers and letters so it's not like it's something easy to hack.

But I finished moving yesterday. Now I just need to unpack a million boxes. It feels good to be in a new place and to have that moving process behind me. I'll have the month of December to get things situated before having my first guest in my new place. I'm going to leave a lot of stuff in boxes though in anticipation of another move next year. I gave away so much stuff to Goodwill and Salvation Army. Plus, I threw out just as much as I donated. I think I probably got rid of at least 35% of my stuff. Kind of feels nice though. Liberating in a strange way!

Anyway, I'm back at work now and am looking forward to the weekend when I'll actually have time to make a dent in unpacking. Plus, Target calls my name. I need a step ladder in the worst way. I can't open my living room window because the second lock is too high and I can't reach it! ha! Oh the joys of being short. ;)

masheek2 and I went to Washington state last weekend to see John Mayer and Keith Urban perform. It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to (even though we had to deal with so many horrible country fans!) Both were so excited to be on stage together and it was just a wonderful night. Totally worth being up for over 24 hours straight and having to drive out to the middle of nowhere for the venue. As much as I'd like to see them tour together, I don't think I could handle the awful country fans at each show. It was amazing to see the difference between Keith's fans and John's fans. There were some people there like Meredith and I that were fans of both, but mostly people were there to see one or the other. It was well worth the aggravation though!

Next up is NYC in a couple of weeks. I'm trying to figure out what to do in the city but it's becoming difficult because the city seems to close down on Mondays. That's not really in line with their motto of there always being something to do at any time of the day or night! We'll get there on the Sunday of the US Open final and will be there through Wednesday. I haven't really done too many touristy things there because it seems like each time I go, I'm going for a specific reason and there is no time to sightsee. Now I have time and would like to do various things to see the city. Any recommendations for things that shouldn't be missed, friends list?

House hunting still blows. lol Now that school has started, most people are done moving so very few houses come on the market each week. I haven't been able to look at anything in over 3 weeks because there is nothing I'm interested in at the moment. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something great pops up soon!

David Tennant was here in LA for the Emmys! I hope that someday I randomly run into him. I'm still hoping that he gets a role in an American tv show as well! Speaking of tv, fall shows are starting up again as summer shows wind down. I don't miss my regular season shows nearly as much now that there is good summer programming to keep me entertained. Can't wait to see Gale Harold on my tv again though!

New books arrived today in the mail! Cannot wait to read them as they are the next books in two different series. Woooo! Yes, I am a total geek over books. You don't even want to know how many I have!

This house buying process is for the birds!

So I'm having my agent draw up an offer on a house that I know won't be accepted. Why am I beating my head against a brick wall? Because these people want too much for their house. It just isn't worth what they're asking and people in LA don't seem to understand that the recession has impacted housing prices here in So-Cal too. For some reason, they think we were immune to it or something. I'm still offering them more than a neighbor of theirs got a few months ago but it's $100,000 less than the asking price. So I know it won't be accepted, but it's what I think the house is worth on a generous basis.

They haven't received a single offer in the entire time that it has been on the market (over 100 days) and yet they won't consider the fact that it's not worth what they believe it is. People should take emotion out of it, but they don't. Just because they love their house, doesn't mean that others will. There is a lot that I'd have to do to it over time to make it the way I'd want it. Plus, there are several things that I'd have to do to it before I even moved in. I mean, one room still has wood paneling from the '70s! Yikes! But it doesn't hurt to give them the offer. Then when they say no, I'll just walk away. I don't like the place so much that I couldn't walk away. It's just a house. I am adverse to spending a lot of money so if I get to keep my dollars in my bank account for longer, I'm all for that!

I've given myself until the end of September to be in escrow on a house. If it doesn't happen by then, I'm going to stick with an apartment. It might be the sign that I was looking for regarding how many more years I'm going to be in LA. An apartment would give me greater mobility, so I'll just take that as a sign that I'll be leaving LA sooner than I previously thought!

I saw "Eat Pray Love" this weekend and the entire time I was wishing that I could just take a year off as well. What a wonderful concept. I really enjoyed the book when I read it a couple of years ago and seeing it on screen just re-emphasized the point of it. I wouldn't necessarily want to go to the countries that she did, but it would be nice to go somewhere and live there just for the enjoyment of it. Maybe one of the Greek islands would take me in. Now there's a nice thought!

Two months into searching for a house and I still haven't been able to find anything. I'm not giving up quite yet, but I'm definitely a little discouraged. For the amount of money I'm willing to spend, you'd think I could find something halfway decent. People try to make it seem like I'm being too picky, but I'm really not. Some of these places are just terrible and the owners are totally delusional if they think they'll get that much for them. It's sad that my downpayment alone could buy a nice house outright in most of the country. *sigh* This is definitely a huge drawback to living in LA.

I'm working on a Comic-Con post, but it's taking a long time to put everything down on paper. I'll have to edit it for sure because it's way too long! Had a wonderful time though and am super happy that I bought my tickets for next year while at the Con because the 4-day passes with preview night sold out before the Con ended. Crazy!

I'm enjoying the "least attractive" polls on a completely superficial level. It's weird because people aren't really playing by the rules. You're supposed to be impartial, but just from the comments I've seen in various journals, you can tell that people are going with an emotional favorite. Not that I ever expected anything less, but I was kind of hoping for people to at least try! ha! I've also noticed that I go for a totally different look than most people do. Most of the people that I would have on my top ten list haven't even made the lists that I've seen. Where is Zac Efron? Adrian Grenier? Bradley Cooper? I could go on and on! (Why yes. I do have a thing for dark hair and blue eyes. How did you guess?) I just saw Zac's new movie this weekend (which was really good) and at points I was almost so distracted by how good looking he is, that I nearly spaced on the movie. He should be on lists people! ;)

John Mayer and Keith Urban together in concert for one night only at the end of this month. masheek2 and I are going. It's my one big thing to look forward to this month!

I just got back from vacation last week and am already off to another one tomorrow. I think I could get used to being on vacation all the time.

masheek2 and I went to Boston last week. We were able to visit with madame_d for a couple of days and try some new restaurants in the area. If you live in the area or are just visiting, you should definitely try The Parish Cafe and Craigie on Main. Both were excellent!

After Boston, we headed to Stockbridge to see Randy Harrison in "Endgame" which is a play by Beckett. I'm not a huge fan of Beckett because he tends to be very dark and weird and this play was no exception. Randy had a small part but he was absolutely brilliant as always. We were lucky to see the talkback after the play. It was hilarious to see Randy dodge answering any questions. I just have to mention how young Randy still looks. Gosh, he just doesn't age! Anyway, we had fun in the Berkshires and explored even more of the area. It was quite a relaxing trip actually, despite the heat and the rain that we encountered.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm off to Comic-Con! Cannot wait! I look forward to this every year and have another busy schedule lined up. I'll get to see angel_q as well for the first time in 6 months or so. I don't know what it is about this convention but every year it is just so much fun. The Chuck and Big Bang Theory panels should be just as great as last year. There are many repeat panels and now I also get to see Castle, White Collar, Leverage and Merlin as well! No David Tennant and Doctor Who this year, but that will always be a very special Comic-Con memory. Will have to see what develops this year.

My house hunting has to take a back seat for a second weekend this month. It's going okay. I haven't been able to find anything that I want to put an offer on yet, but I'm continuing the search. masheek2 has been wonderful as she's been going to open houses with me each weekend to provide a second opinion.

Next vacation is at the end of August. Two John Mayer concerts! One with Keith Urban in Washington which should be amazing.

Time to watch the last episode from this season of Doctor Who. I've been watching the BBC America feed instead of downloading it, but now that their schedule ends during Comic-Con I have to watch the last episode on my computer so I'm not spoiled once I get to Comic-Con. They should plan better! ;)

So it's been a while! I've been busy finishing all my projects at work before I went on vacation for 2.5 weeks touring Napa and the entire California coastline. Took a road trip starting from the border of California and Oregon. We stopped many places along the way. I got to see the redwoods, the gorgeous California coastline and many of the oceanside cities along the way. It was a great time and was very relaxing! Here are a few pictures from my cell phone camera:

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Now that I'm back, I'm firmly invested in house hunting. I have spoken to various bankers and have applied for loan approval so that I can actually start looking at houses and make an offer if I can find one I like (and is in my price range.) I hope to have a house in a few months, but I'm sure it will take longer than that. I'm probably too picky! It's so much money to spend though, so I need to really like the place.

In just three weeks, masheek2 and I will be headed to Boston for what seems to be my annual trip to the area. I'm hoping to meet up with friends while there and then we're heading to Stockbridge to see Randy Harrison in a play. I always love travelling with masheek2 because we're pretty much on the same page when it comes to relaxing and enjoying ourselves on vacation. Can't wait for this next trip!

A week after we get back from Boston, I'm off to Comic-Con. I can't believe a year has already gone by since the last one. I'm super excited for this year even though it probably won't be as good as last year (only because David Tennant won't be there and that was truly the highlight of all my Comic-Con experiences so far) but it will be a blast especially with so many new shows making their first appearances.

The rest of July has to be spent looking for a house. We'll see what happens with that. I'm so nervous about the process, but I'm excited about having my own place to come home to each night that I believe it's worth it in the end.

Off to cook and continue to catch up on TV recorded on my DVR. Entourage starts soon so I thought I'd use the boys for my icon. They're always nice to look at whenever you have the chance! :D

My busiest time I mean. I think it might be slowing down, but I can't tell quite yet. If nothing else, I know that in just a few weeks I'll be off on my PCH trip so it won't matter. Other people will have to take care of the work for two weeks. I cannot wait for the break! I feel like I'm in the movie "Groundhog's Day" and I just keep waking up each morning stuck in the same pattern. So it's time for random thoughts posting!

- Tonight is the Madonna episode of "Glee" which I'm very excited to see. Tomorrow night I'm going to the Hotel Cafe to see Jesse Plemons (of Friday Night Lights fame) play a set. I'm not sure what his music is like, but he's a sweetheart so I want to support him. I'm sure there will be tons of people there as long as the weather doesn't drive people away. If anyone wants to join me, I'd love the company!

- I need to seriously start looking for a house to buy. Scary! It's just so much money and I think I'll have a heart attack while signing any loan documents. I don't like debt. I know this is the right thing to do but I hate owing people money! I'm such an accountant.

- The new season of Doctor Who has me conflicted. I've only seen the first episode because I decided that since David is no longer the Doctor, I don't feel the need to download it immediately and watch it. Instead, I'm watching it on BBC America. I was entertained by the first episode but I didn't love it. I'm holding out hope that it gets better. So far the companion doesn't thrill me but it was the first episode. I'll still give it a shot. I love the idea of the show so I know that I'll still be entertained each episode but I don't see myself loving it like I did these past four years. Afterwards I felt the need to pull out my DVDs and watch some of David's episodes. *sigh* Why did he have to leave? I am looking forward to his new show though ("Single Father") as he should be excellent in it.

- My friend, Ian, got married a week ago. So strange to see another one bite the dust.

- On May 1st, I'm doing the Accomplice Hollywood experience. There's only one ticket left for the time that a bunch of us are going. Is it wrong to hope that Nathan Fillion decides he wants to do it again? hahahaha!

Off to review my credit report to make sure there isn't anything on there that isn't mine. That's the first step in the house buying process. (Or at least, it's the first on my list of steps!) Time to commit to the idea and take the plunge!

While it kind of hurts to think about the beginning of the year due to my work situation ramping up to ridiculous amounts of hours, the end of last year should carry me through at least half of my busy season!

Darren Hayes - London - New Year's Eve show: ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! I never really have the words to explain what it's like to be at one of his shows. The feelings that rush through me at the sound of his voice are indescribable. It was a magical night and it was the first time in 2 years that he had performed live. He was having the time of his life on stage and his energy was transferred to the crowd during the whole show. I wish I had a Pocket!Darren. (Some of you are aware of my "Pocket!" idea - an idea beyond technology at this point I believe.)

My trip to Cardiff and London was great even though I did get sick the second day there thanks to a man on my flight to London who decided to get on the plane even though he was very sick and then proceeded to cough and sneeze all over angel_q and I for 11 hours. Needless to say, we both got sick. But a cold could not keep me down! Neither could John Barrowman calling out for his panto or Daniel Boys calling out when I went to see Avenue Q. (I have horrible luck with seeing people in musicals - Lance called out when I went to NYC to see Hairspray too. No more travel to see people in musicals.) Although both the panto and Avenue Q were great without either of them. I was very happy I went to see them regardless. I wish we had pantos in the US. It was so much fun!

Darren was the only one who didn't let me down and he more than made up for those two not being where they were supposed to be. I even recorded the show which I have yet to fully listen to or track, but I will soon. It was strange because at the show we randomly ended up standing next to a bunch of Americans. They were so much fun. We had a great time together.

It only rained on 3 of the 7 days that we were there which was wonderful. Otherwise, the days were filled with bright sunshine. We were able to take in a lot of the sights. Since it was angel_q's first time outside of the US we went to a lot of the standard places that you have to go to when you visit London - Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London, St. Paul's, etc. It's always nice to take in those places for a second time. I even got to see a few things at each place that I didn't get to the first time I was there.

Being back in LA does have it's perks - the weather for one (even if it is raining today) and I'm going to see Gale Harold in a play on Friday with masheek2! I cannot wait to see him on opening night. Then we're having dinner with friends on Saturday. Should be a fantastic weekend. without_me - we need to plan a brunch or something soon!

One last thing - I want to do this for my birthday in April - Accomplice Hollywood. I'd love to be able to get a group of 10 together so that we could be the only ones playing the game on the day that we choose. I think the more advance time we give for the booking the better chance we have of getting just our group in the game on a specific day. Let me know if anyone is interested. I think it sounds like a ton of fun!

First of all, a great big thank you goes out to without_me for the snowflake that she sent me. Thanks so much! I certainly hope we can get together soon. Maybe early January? Her gift prompted me to post because I realized it's been ages since I've written anything.

Over the past month, I've been pretty busy. crazyjay came for a visit and we took in a concert at the Wiltern (The Swell Season with surprise guest Jason Segel), saw the indy movie "Dare" which was interesting, saw "New Moon" which I really enjoyed, and had fun doing some shopping. We also saw James van der Beek at Trader Joe's while she was here. It was her first random celebrity sighting so that was a treat.

Then my mom came to visit for Thanksgiving and we had a ton of plans including an ambitious Thanksgiving meal. We went to see "Spring Awakening" in Orange County. I was able to see one of my favorite people from Degrassi (Jake Epstein) and as a bonus he was the lead part! It was lovely to see him because he's not really on the show anymore. We also took a baking class while she was here and I loved it. I'm actually taking another one from the same lady on Friday before heading down to Long Beach to see "Rent."

Lately I've just been busy buying holiday gifts and getting ready for my trips to Wisconsin and to London. Finding a NYE outfit has been challenging. I'm actually going to have to make part of my outfit because I can't find anything in a store that I like. That Darren Hayes likes sparkly things so I'm trying to find something that sparkles but I can still feel comfortable wearing. Very tricky!

I recently indulged my inappropriate crush on Zac Efron and saw "Me and Orson Welles" and it was excellent! I really liked it. I liked it better than "Up In The Air", which I liked, but not as much as I liked "Me and Orson Welles" so I would really recommend it. My favorite movie of the year is still this indy movie called "Adam" but it will never see any nominations. Doesn't matter though. If you haven't seen it, you should make it a priority to do so. Hugh Dancy is in it and it really makes you feel all kinds of emotions. I had my mom drive to an indy theater about 2 hours from her house to see it and she still thanks me for telling her to see it.

Glee tonight! Can't wait. I also need to catch up on Merlin and Friday Night Lights. David Tennant is here in LA filming his new pilot and I totally missed seeing him TWICE now. I won't be lucky enough to have it still be filming in a public location this weekend, so I'll have to hope it gets picked up so that I have many more opportunities to see him in LA next year.

I took masheek2 out for dinner to celebrate her birthday a little early since I won't be able to attend her party. We went to Lola's and it was awesome! Our server was fantastic and he kept giving us free stuff. The food was excellent as well. We kept talking about how we'd have to go back again. Good place!

Well, that was all really rambly. ha! In case I don't have a chance to post before the end of the year - Happy Holidays everyone!