"You Got Ya Hand On Ya Fro-Yo, Fro-Yo on Ya Mind"

Naturally I should be doing coverage on a somewhat good novel right now- it would actually make for a fantastic beach read- but, I've decided to spend some quality time with my dear old neglected blog. I didn't realize how neglected this has been until I logged onto my account and my last post was on February 17. It's been a long time.

March was one insane month. My apartment was a revolving door of people. All of the roommates had guests along with all the peeps that came to visit me. Hence, I was slightly distracted from spending some one on one time with Karissa Marie Explains It All. Anyways, two of my best friends from home, good ol' Dublin, OH, made an appearance in La La Land. What I love about having people come visit so late in my semester is that it gives a me a solid excuse to do all those touristy things in SoCal and spend a ridiculous amount of money. Kati and Lauren spent a week with me living the dream (no work, no commitments, and days full of sunshine) and I wish they never had to get back to gloomy O-H-I-O. That was for the buckeye fans out there.

I introduced them to the California curses. Otherwise known as cupcakes and frozen yogurt. Now these two things aren't the biggest trend on the east coast and the mid west, so ever since arriving to sunny Cali I've come to LOVE a cup of fro-yo from Yogurtland and a good quality sugar high resulting from a trip to Crumbs or Sprinkles (better known to my roommates and I as Crummies and Sprinks). Now, someone riddle me this. California is the land of the insanely rich, tan, skinny, and beautiful- how do these people maintain their waistline when they stuff their faces with giant Oreo cupcakes, chocolate dipped cookies, and tubs of fro-yo topped with every type of fruit, candy, nut, and cereal concoction known to man? The only answer I can think of is that they spend hours hiking Runyon Canyon and Griffith Park. Which I have also done much to the horror of my granny knees.

One of my favorite things about my friends being here is that we all happen to be major foodies. So while we tried to stick to some sort of budget eating and making food at the apt, this failed when we referred to a spreadsheet that held all the restaurant names that needed to be visited. Granted, since my bffs made this list, the visits were mainly to devour the most delish dish off the dessert menu. Two of my favorite places: Fraiche and Luna Park. Both were highlighted on the Food Network show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and held true to their word.

At Fraiche, we were the luckiest people in the world. We arrived just before the lunch service ended and announced that we were there for dessert. The maitre d was one of the nicest men I have ever come in contact with. (Note: I might be biased because he gave us one of their other desserts for free.) The subject of our afternoon: The Chocolate Hazelnut Purse. If there was some sort of chocolate and hazelnut heaven, I reached it that day. The three of us might just be Nutella's biggest supporters, so place a pastry filled with warm, molten "nutella" in front of us with a side of chocolate glace and you've got fans for life. Torta Della Nonna- the pleasant surprise- was also utterly amazing. It wasn't too sweet and the side of caramel ice cream was absolutely delicious. It was composed of a marscapone cheese in the middle of a pine nut shortbread with fuji apples. Their latte's were also amazing....I could use one right now.

Luna Park is located right next to my apartment complex and their lunch menu is the perfect size with something that promises to appease you, no matter what mood you're in. I ordered the Turkey Burger with a side salad and a delicious lemon aioli. The burger was not dry at all and was topped with a delicious Gruyere cheese. Kati and Lauren both ordered the Cheezlit and Tomato soup. Essentially a humongous grilled cheese with a generous blend of cheeses. The tomato soup was also quite good. But the piece de resistance of this meal was the make your own s'mores we had for dessert. Luna Park makes their own graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate sauce. They bring everything out for you and you build your own dessert. BEST s'mores of my life!

When I finally leave L.A., I am going to be quite sad to leave all of these amazing places behind. The May 1st date is coming up way way to fast.

THE GOSSIP MACHINE

I love celebrities. I love gossip. So it's fitting that I love Hollywood. I devour the free weeklies that we get at our apartment. A big THANKS! to whoever fogot to change their address when they moved back to Boston last semester. I am addicted to Perez Hilton, a daily must read. Since coming to LA, I have discovered even more gossip sites, granted I spend hours scouring the internet at work looking for mention of clients. But, it's still gossip.

Since moving to LA, my friends and I discovered a few secrets about celebrities in real life. I am here to tell you all of the things that I've learned and unfortunately, to inform you that celebritities really are not all hat different from us mere mortals. Well, except for the fact that they are all ridiculously beautiful and thing. These thigns are true, I'm sorry to inform you. So let's delve into these myths, so I can shatter all of your hopes and dreams.

1) Male actors all seen huge on the TV/movie screen. But honestly, I've learnedthat they're not. Yes, they're all buff and muscular, and most definitely still drool worthy, but they're kinda small. For example, I met Sean Faris, Now if any of you have seen Never Back Downm you'd think this guy was huge- he plays a fighter for heavens sake. Or most recently, he guested on the hotfest that is the Vampire Diaries. When I met this guy, I was shocked at how small he actually is. The guy was short, but stacked.

2) Actors have NOT discovered the fountain of youth. Everyone in this industry seems so young in magazine spreads and fil- wrinkle-free with a twinkle in their eye. Well, whoever invented Photoshop deserves a major bonus because no one is that flawless in real life. Yesterday, I was doing some work at a French cage on Melrose when Annette Bening walks in and sits down to lunch with a friend. At first, I wasn't sure it was her. This woman seemed so old and wrinkly compared to the glowing woman you seeon Warren Beatty's arm on the red carpet. So, what do I do? Naturally, I Google image her and compare the woman in front of me to the woman on the screen. Same nose. same eyes, same haircut, and I swear I recognize the voice. It's her. Now granted this woman is a bit older, but she always looks so flawless on screen. Disclaimer: I am not passing judgment on these people. I find it quite relieving that these folks are not so flawless in real life. I relish the fact that they are somewhat normal.

Now on the opposite end of the age spectrum, on Saturday some friends and I went to a Vampire Diaries signing/question and answer session. I am not ashamed to admit that every Thursday, we TiVo the show and rush back from class to aprtake in a little vampire glory. Anyhow, Ian Somerhalder, who plays the bad boy vamp Damon, is a 30 yr old man. He doesn't look like it on screen with those deeple pensive baby blues and high cheekbones- but in real life, the man looks it. Now granted, he had spent a horrid day traveling on every type of tansportation possible- plane, helicopter, car- I'm telling myself that played a major role. On the other hand, Paul Wesley, who plays sexy, good boy vamp Stefan, wsa even more striking in person. Call me anytime, Paul.

3) Sometimes the screen doesn't portray the hotness of some folks. Last night, we were lucky enough to see Dane Cook at the Laugh Factory. Now, Dane Cook has always been trememdously funny and somewhat attractive. He's from Boston after all. Seeing him on stage, so close, I realized that the man has got something in person that isn't portrayed on TV.

Another example, the other morning I was making my usual Starbucks trip. I decided to try a different location. So I end up at Starbucks on the corner of Beverly and Robertson- right across the street from Chanel, I should have known it was gonna be a good morning. I'm minding my own business waiting for my venti nonfat latte when I notice a rather stunning young man coming into the store. I don't wanna be caught staring, that'd be an awkward situation. So I mind my own business. I leave the store. mindlessly gabbing to my dadwhen I realize that this man (who happen to be wearing a purple Kings hat. Hockey and purple, two perfect things in life) is Michael Vartan, from my absolute favorite TV show of all time, ALIAS. I nearly choke on my latte, wait till I get outside and then freakout. I'm about to cross the street whenI realize I forgot to put Splenda in my coffee. So like an idiot, I turn around, go back in, grab some Splenda, debating whether or not to accost Mr. Vartan. Moral of the story, this 42 yr old man (I had to look that up, I thought he was thirty-something) looks better than ever before. Before I knew who it was, I thought he was a twenty-something.

4) Apparently the nicest actors in this business are, in reality, big bitches. Now I haven't met this specific celebrity, though I desperately want to. She is one of my all time favorite actresses and I legit worship her life. Sounds creepy, but it's completely true. I've heard from multiple sources, that her good girl act is all a lie and my faith in humanity may be ruined because of it. Unfortunately, her name is Jennifer Garner. GASP. I find it so hard to believe that she is such a rude person. She seems so nice, friendly, honest, and utterly amazing in all of the interviews I've seen or read of her. But as more and more people tell me that those who have met her say the exact opposite, I am forced to believe there may be some truth here. I desperately cling to the hope that everyone is wrong...please, world BE WRONG.

Now these are the little lesson that I've learned so far. Some of them may seem rather obvious, but to me they are somewhat mind-blowing. Working in Hollywood has taught me to believe most of what I read in the gossip columns. I mean most of these things aren't coming from nowhere- half of the time, it's a publicist pitching to some columnist or blogger. Perez Hilton should be read as fact, the National Enquirer not so much. But you get the gist. Now, one thing that I desperately want Perez to be wrong about is Leo DiCaprio's possible engagement to Bar Raffeli. Now its not like I'm naive enough to cling to some far fetched hope that one day, I will be the future Mrs. DiCaprio (though I do still cling to the hope to one day be the Queen of England, married to the gorgeous Prince William); but if he is, alas, engaged, all of my childhood dreams will come crashing down around me. I have harborerd a deep love for this suave man since 1997. I am going to break my no scary movie rule to see his latest collabo with Scorsese this weekend. EVERYONE GO SEE SHUTTER ISLAND.

On that not, I am going to wnd with a little product placement. Because it's what Hollywood does.

Sorry For The Delay Folks

This is the story of a girl who started a blog, posted two off the hook entries and then disappeared off the face of the planet, never to be heard from again. I am not that girl. Because I’m back… prepare yourselves because I will be posting like a machine from now on.

Lets be honest, I feel like life has come and smacked me straight up on the head. Ever heard of the saying “running around like a chicken with its head cut off?” Well, imagine this chicken in the form of me and you get a pretty good picture of what I have been doing for the past month. Since I last posted, I have started classes and begun working my two internships. You would expect me, as a PR major, to have two PR internships. But naturally because I have the tendency to make everything twisted and difficult, I have an internship at SYNDICATE PR and The Gersh Agency. One of which is a talent agency.

Syndicate is an amazing boutique PR agency with 4 full time publicists in the LA office and another group in the NY office. Syndicates clients are mainly venues such as Nobu, The Roosevelt Hotel, Mondrian, East, Teddys, Skybar, Premiere, SOHO House, and the list goes on. At Gersh I am interning for the head of the Feature Lit department, an agent named Sarah Self. Sarah represents authors whose books get made into TV/movies and a lot screenwriters, a few directors, and some talent. Biggest client is Diablo Cody and her newest client is a comedian named Bo Burnham-he’s huge in the college world.

Well, now that I’ve bored you all with where I am working, onto the fun stuff. Time has been flying by. I can’t believe I’ve been here for almost a month. Everyday goes by so quickly and weekends, I blink and they’re over. Here’s a snapshot of my day: wake up at 7 and am at work by 9. The morning flutters away and next thing you know its 1pm. Hollywood lunch time-it really is just like in the movies. I love to walk around Beverly Hills during lunch and imagine all of the deals that are getting made in this measly one hour over $30 salads. Favorite lunch moment: Walking down Beverly Blvd and spotting Alexander Skarsgard and not having a freak-out moment. I’m quite proud of myself. Back at the office at 2 and stare at my computer until 6. By which point, I’m usually a tad bit cranky from sitting all day and could use an amazing massage. I sit in traffic during the “10” minute drive back to my apartment and then proceed to stuff my face until 7. Now its time to go to class, which is

easily within walking distance, but because we’re in LA now we drive the 3 block over to the office building where our lessons take place. Being in LA has made us quite lazy. In Boston, everyone walks everywhere where it’s pouring rain or there is two feet of snow. If you take the elevator for less than 5 floors, you are ridiculed and yelled at. We live on the 4^th floor in PLB and we take the elevator. I ease my conscience by telling myself it is more like 5 when you include the lobby level. Anyways, class is over by 10 and we all rush home to watch whatever we DVR’d that night- usually 24, LOST, or Vampire Diaries- and then proceed to pass out by midnight.

Now it seems like there is plenty of time to blog during all that TV watching, but I find that it’s hard to concentrate on Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder’s amazing 12 pack abs when staring at computer, so I chose not to. Can you blame me?

Now in this lengthy space of time that I’ve been neglecting this blog, I’ve come up with over a dozen topics-really good ones, if I say so myself- and have managed to forget all of them. After the dullness of this entry and the lacking for a month, I promise that in the future all the entries will be très amusant and above par. In fact, I’ll tell you the topic of the next one…crazy nights adventures around LA, all in the name of finding a celebrity. Or in my case, the love of my life, LEONARDO DICAPRIO. Don’t laugh, that name deserves all caps.

Drop, Duck, Cover. . .

Don’t worry, if there’s ever an earthquake in southern California I am officially prepared. After seven hours of orientation yesterday with at least 2.5 of that time spent on being prepared in an emergency situation. In case your wondering, in the event of an earthquake 1) Don’t go running outdoors 2)DONT stand in a door jam- the door will shut on you and more than likely smash your fingers (this is news to me cause I was always told that standing in one is a safe place to be. I guess I’ve been lied to for the past 20 years) 3)Back away from any windows and things that may or not fall on you. . .blah, blah, blah.
I can tell you right now that if a severe earthquake ever hits Los Angeles all of this knowledge won’t matter. I’m the first one to admit that in the event of an emergency, I will freak out, have a panic attack, and more than likely break out into hysterics. Forget about thinking straight and using common sense. Though BU has prepared us with the staples, including a giant jar of peanut butter (not to be used for making PB&Js we’ve been told), several cans of tuna and spam, and two giant bottles of water. My question is, what in the hell are we supposed to mix the tuna with? And I don’t think in any type of situation will I ever even consider opening a can of spam, let alone placing a bite of that spiced canned pork substance anywhere near my face. Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love peanut butter. . .but how’s a girl gonna survive off of that? Hopefully, I will never need to find out.
Best part about the entire orientation is when we were taught about directions including which way north, east, south and west are. Now I actually considered this to be slightly helpful because despite having a father and mother who both have a great sense of direction, I apparently lack one (as learned on the first night in LA). One thinks they have it all figured out. Downtown LA is east of PL. Beverly Hills, Century City, and Santa Monica are all west of PL. While most of the studios and the valley are north through the mountains. But then you start driving the streets of West Hollywood and get all confused, that is after you finally find your way out of PL. Thank the lord for my new BFF, Lulu. Lulu is my somewhat dependable Garmin GPS system. Some what dependable meaning that on my way to 9000 Sunset Blvd this morning, Lulu decided to be a bit of a whore and not find the correct address which led to me to utilizing the map app on my blackberry.
Driving in LA is nothing like driving in Boston. Try making a left turn onto a street, it will take about 20 minutes to do it. I guess Los Angeles doesn’t believe in left turning lanes and green turning arrows. Traffic is crazy, but everyone knows that. It’s led the girl who absolutely hates using her horn (me) to become well acquainted with the lovely sound of a blaring, ugly tone. For part of the orientation we were taught about driving. I felt like I was 16 again, sitting in the smelly, boring Top Driver classroom watching outdated movies about drunk driving. Apparently it’s not common sense that when one is switching lanes, they should turn their head and look into their blind spot.
So after 7 hours of learning about earthquakes and common sense, I finally felt like I was ready to take on the roads and weather of LA.
Speaking of earthquakes, everyone should take a moment and pray for those affected by the one in Haiti.

We're Definitely Not in Kansas Anymore

Unreal. That’s all I have to say about the past 36 hours. Well, also that LA and I are a match made in heaven so far. My nerves are gone for now (I have my first interview at Syndicate PR tomorrow morning and the jitters will be back) and I feel dumb for being so nervous. I can say that so far my experience has been utterly amazing and I haven’t even ventured out beyond about a two mile radius from the Park LaBrea complex.

Park LaBrea is unlike anything I have ever experienced it my entire life. I’m sitting here racking my scattered brain for something to compare it to and I’m coming up empty. The complex is arranged in a circular pattern (complete with its own roundabouts that Dublin, OH would be proud of) with sets of highrise apartment buildings surrounded by smaller condos. EVERYTHING LOOKS THE SAME. Upon arriving into this sprawling 32 acres (if I remember correctly) the cab driver got lost numerous times. When the Enterprise dude came to get me, he proceeded to get lost finding his way out. AND THESE PEOPLE LIVE HERE. So imagine, to my little surprise, what happens when my roommates and I walk to dinner last night and proceed to get utterly lost.

The evening started out well. We left about 10 minutes before dinner and actually made it out of PL (I’m using these initials from now on to refer to Park LaBrea) and only arrived to Buddha’s Belly (which has fantastic eggrolls, btw) about 15 minutes late. We leave dinner with a big group of people- only 1 of us had the smarts to bring a map of the complex with us- and think we’re making a short cut by using a side gate instead of walking around to the main entrance. BIG NO NO. This is where it all went wrong. The 3 of us split off because our apt. building is in a completely different direction than the others. This was mistake #2 as none of us had a map. This dumb decision led to 3 girls wondering around for about 45 minutes, ultimately proving that we have no sense of direction and that one must always carry a map.

Best part of the night is when we decided to stop wondering around and stand on the corner waiting for our 4th roomie to come find us and show the way home (which turned out to be on the complete opposite side of the complex). During this wait, a man got out of his car, opened his trunk and proceeded to put a sailors hat on top of his head. He then got back in and drove off. At this moment in time, I finally understood how Dorothy felt the moment she landed in OZ. Lesson learned, always carry a map of said apt. complex with you. And if you think you should go in one direction, chances are you destination is in the complete opposite. At least, according to my warped sense of direction.

So that was my first night in Los Angeles, definitely learned a few things that I will not forget during my stay at PL. Now my first day was full of lessons too. But those are for next time. . .

Buckle Up. . .It's Gonna Be A Bumpy Ride

Los Angeles. What comes to my mind when I think of this city? Glamour, Celebrities, Parties, Paparazzi, Rodeo Drive- essentially all of the images straight out of a scene of Entourage (which just happens to be one of my favorite shows). Today, I move to this insane city for the next four months. Hence, where this blog comes to play.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the blog. I subscribe to a ridiculous amount and read them incessantly. I love reading about food, hockey, fashion, entertainment, public relations, football, you name it. Since I harbor this love, I’ve decided to actually try writing one and see how it goes. Now I’ve never been an insanely good writer, but I’ve learned throughout my years of school to come to enjoy the blank page. My hope for this blog is to provide a little entertainment about my time in LA, perhaps a little insight into what it’s like to be a twenty something living in the midst of excess. I love being entertained and that’s what I want this blog to be.

Now a little about me:

I’m junior at Boston University- currently spending a semester “abroad” in L.A.

I’m a public relations major with a minor in French.

I’m a magazine addict- I read fashion, food, sports, news, anything I can get my hands on.

That said, I LOVE reading. . .I spend a ridiculous amount of money on books.

Oddly enough, I’m not a fan of libraries- there’s something about that old and used book smell that I can’t handle.

I love to cook and bake. If I ever need to drop out of school, I’m opening a Pâtisserie.

I am a MAJOR hockey fan. It’s in my blood. GO PENS!!!

I have moved 16 times in my life. Sometimes just 1 block down the street, other times from one state to another.

I’ve spent 16 years of my life in Western PA, and will never in my life live in PA again.

I love shoes. So much so, that I devoted an entire suitcase to bring to LA.

I have a wedding obsession. It’s not normal how excited I get when new wedding magazines hit the stands. My fav: Martha Stewart Weddings.

As I sit on the plane writing this, I still don’t think the next few months has hit me yet. It probably won’t until I get out of the airport and drive towards Park LeBrea (my LA home). The nerves didn’t hit me until about 4 am, east coast time, as I stood in the shower thinking about everything I couldn’t forget (good thing I was thinking this because I almost forgot my credit card and my running shoes). BOOM, the nerves came and suddenly I felt my feet getting very cold. They’re still there, like tiny Mexican jumping beans in the pit of my stomach. But there’s no looking back now, we’re crossing over the mountains and I must embark on what it sure to be a wild ride.