Thursday, April 29, 2010

Take a Breather...


I've been in LA for exactly two weeks...fourteen days.  I feel lost and wide-eyed like Astrid from White Oleander.  And let me just clarify something.  Although i'm already dinosaurean-for-a-girl-in-LA @ 26...LOL!, this move has been the biggest thing I've ever done in my entire life.  I've moved to NYC before, but it was still Eastern Standard time and i could be home in an hour and a half by jet.  It has been a difficult transition.  The reality of it is, i went from a hotel to sleeping on a couch and living out of my six boxes of clothes and shoes.... to being in a hotel again and then a downtown loft.... and in two days, i will be in an apartment with my own bed, my own bathroom, my own balcony, my new home. (and hopefully i will soon have a new vespa!).  Now as the smoke settles down, I find myself missing home.  I miss my fatass chihuahua, Pippi.  I miss my friends.  I miss the simplicity of being in the ATL bubble that's so easy and so routine.  I miss the structure of my old life.  Yes, I know, two weeks isn't exactly an earth shattering accomplishment, but Atlanta is central base.  It's my epicenter.  I had a great conversation with a friend today.  He compared people to ships.

"When a ship is built, it's always safe in the harbor.  But the real reason a ship is built is to go out to sea...to face the unknown...to withstand storms and the uncertainty." 

This is something I've always been afraid of doing...headbutting the unfamiliar and saying, "newb or not, fuck u, i belong here."

I know there's a reason for everything.  And I know that as soon as some time passes, I'll be alright.  I'm being pushed really hard to do something I'm terrified of.  I have no safety net or contingency plan. But this is what really makes or breaks people, isn't it?  Not only am I here to work and jumpstart a career...but more importantly, I'm here to learn about myself and break out of my shell. Yeah, I have shell and as elaborate as it may be, it's hard like an emu egg.  Except, I'm like a faberge egg...cuz i'm fab. 

Kisses,
FABerge bad egg
Astrid

PS:
Last night over drinks, I met the Senior VP of Clearwire. He's so "normal".  I thought it was so cute how he just sat there, drinking his pint, making little jokes here and there trying to be hip and cool.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I LOVE THIS MOVIE: "Jeux d'enfants" (2003)

"Good old Sophie! We're back in the game! Pure, raw, explosive pleasure! Better than drugs, better than smack. Better than dope-coke-crack-fix-shit-shoot-sniff-ganja-marijuana-blotter-acid-ecstasy! Better than sex, head, 69, orgies, masturbation, tantrism, Kama Sutra or Thai doggy-style! Better than banana milkshakes! Better than George Lucas’ trilogy, the Muppets and 2001! Better than Emma Peel, Marilyn, Lara Croft, and Cindy Crawford’s beauty mark! Better than the B-side of Abbey Road. Better than Hendrix, the first man on the moon, Space Mountain, Santa Claus, Bill Gates’ fortune, the Dalai Lama, Lazarus raised from the dead, Schwarzenegger’s testosterone shots, Pam Anderson’s lips, Woodstock, raves. Better than de Sade, Rimbaud, Morrison and Castaneda. Better than freedom, better than life!"
featuring real-life couple Guillaumet Canet & Marion Cotillard ~ Brangelina eat your hearts out!  *swoon*





Trivia
  • The film is dedicated to director Yann Samuell's parents-in-law Gerard and Sonia. Gerard and Sonia lent their house to Yann Samuell while he was writing the screenplay. The two were killed in a car crash a week before the film was released.
  • The scene in which Julien and Sophie are immersed in cement was filmed by immersing Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet in apple sauce.
  • When Julien is at the cemetery on the day after which he and Sophie haven't seen each other for ten years, he wishes Sophie would just appear and sing "La Vie en Rose", a song by Édith Piaf. Marion Cotillard (Sophie) would later win an Academy Award for playing Piaf in La môme (2007).

    Monday, April 26, 2010

    Updates...


    Hey sis!  remember this place?  I was bored so i just took some pictures of my surroundings.  And here are a few pix from Hanna's 27th bday. I've known her since i was like 17. She, Enoch and I were amigos from the getgos so i guess it's been...HOMYGAT 10 years.  ={ i've known my midget friend for a decade and she still looks about a decade years old and makes faces accordingly. The other two are of Pickron and me (yes, orthodontics pickron--who i've also known since i was a freshman in high school!!), and finally with Orlando (Halo Lounge).  It was a great night til i blacked out.  
    The end!-Liz


    Peas here adding my pacific standard time recap.  So I went to the Viceroy @ Santa Monica last night for Eunice Unnie’s Farewell Party. It had been a busy insane morning. Id boarded the first flight out of Vegas and was practically sleepwalking the entire way to LAX.  In my retatted scatterpeas state, I hopped onto a bus and ended up at Union Station. I was stranded there for 3 hours. So there I am, sitting on a bench fresh off a flight from Vegas wearing 5 inch platform heels, a black and cream print miniskirt, and a gray polka dot bra under a violet see-through blouse. In all honesty, I think I was too faded to be embarrassed. After persuading me for 10 min that it wouldn’t be wise to start walking in the direction of the freeway (i was fully prepared to do this with gusto) Dooks helped me find the number to a cab company. Nada. I had to wait another hour to get scooped up off the hot pavement. Ah… my ride in shining armor was wasted, too. Perfect. There we were sitting in his car, woozy. We decided to go to the Grove’s Farmers Market for sustenance: grits and an egg white omelet.

    After the Grove, we went to a couple furniture boutiques to find the perfect couch. In 10 min… presto. I found it. I’m THAT good. *curtsy* Thank goodness for Melinda, Daniel’s interior decorator friend. Now, I really get to kick back my feet and RELAX. “Relax”. Man that word is so funny--as a noun it's music to my ears.... as a command, it pisses me off to the point of no return... *japanimation* peas the protag pours gasoline into eyes of the utterer of RELAX. then impales them with samurai sword like she would fork peas on her plate.

    I went back to the loft to nap. I imagine the hands on the clock do the robot while i sleep, mocking me…and then it's suddenly 830PM. I have to get ready for Eunice Unnie’s Party at the Viceroy in Santa Monica. All my logic tells me that I should call it a night and stay in…but no… must drink! must socialize! I think i must've said "Cheers" 50thousand times in my lifetime. Talking, laughing and meeting new people is sometimes work. But i secretly delight in the thought of immersing myself with these interesting people. SO. I grabbed my nylon stockings, changed, reapplied my makeup, clasped on my heels, and headed out the door.

    As I walked in, I slo-mo fell in love with the hotel decor--the white leather recliners everywhere and the Miami-esque feel of it all. I could live in hotels forever. Forget owning a piece of land. My family has always owned land. Seoul. Atlanta. Screw it! Why have that responsibility when you can pay someone to make your room twice a day... turn-down service and apple/chocolate door delivery? A minibar! Alcohol over acres, i say! Why walk around and look for lunch when there’s room service. My living room is a swanky lobby that’s always packed with attractive, fascinating people.

    Anyway, I headed to the bar, got into the zone and began boozing and schmoozing. I should've known that after my first drink it was going to be another louisiana boozianna night. My kettle and redbull didn’t go down well and I had to force myself to swallow. Also, my drink was about 90% alcohol, 10% redbull... normally i'd toast to the bartender and wink, but this time i scowled into my clear drink. Again, all logic told me to slow my roll… but screw it, another drink!!! I looked down at my phone and it was 11:53PM. Holy… I’m knackered. I’d been standing there being social and making new friends and it hit me like a friggin greyhound…I could barely keep my eyes open and I felt faint. “Excuse me guys” and I made my way to the patio where I found a nice seat tucked into a corner where I could have a smoke to regain my composure. My phone rings. It’s my mum.


    She kept me on the phone for what seemed like an eternity and I ended up falling asleep on her. SHIT. I woke up because an attendant was poking me, “um…are you aright?”

    Today I went to work and was extra productive. I wrote pitches for 2 of our artists. 730PM rolled around and I couldn’t WAIT to jump right back into bed. “What are your plans tonight, Astrid?” I was asked while scampering out the door…my reply, “Catching up on about 2 weeks of missed sleep.”

    Tomorrow, i'm going to look into vespas. I desperately need a means of transport.

    Funniest Freakin Post EVARRR!!!

    I'm kind of obsessed with Santa Ina Garten in all her fatassed glory.  Her voice is something like soothing honey and angels' voices.  She's so sweet and awkward and talented.  I just love her!  She's such a typical neurotic Jew ~ on xanax... I can't even make fun of her or be disgusted when she tastes her food (as i have a propensity for getting grossed out by watching fat people eat--i find it morbid) because i love her so much and she's a holy cow.  I read this article on foodnetworkhumor.com and nearly peed my pants laughing so hard.  

    “GOOD” New Ina Garten Parody Videos Hit The Internet

    Published on: February 26, 2010 – 9:58 am by Jillian Madison Comment

    Ina Garten fans (and haters), rejoice! The Gawker elves have been hard at work scouring the Ina Garten archives, and just posted a 3-part video compilation satirizing the Barefoot Contessa herself.
    ina-good-shitThe first video is all about the “GOOD” things in Ina’s life. Good vanilla. Good chocolate. Good olive oil. Sadly, there were no mentions of “good gays” or “good hydrangea arrangements.” I will say, however, that I came out of this video feeling awfully insecure about the herb-infused dipping oil I picked up for $7.99 at TJ Maxx last night. Could you imagine rolling up to Ina’s with a bottle of that shit? She’d throw you out of her barn faster than Rachael Ray could strap one of her awful, unsupportive bras.
    The second video highlights Ina’s annoying habit of constantly asking rhetorical questions. “How bad can that be?” “How easy is that?” “Doesn’t this look fantastic?” And my personal favorite, “Does this oversized shirt make my butt look fat?”
    The third video is all about Jeffrey, and clearly begs the question… are these two actually still having SEX? And why is the thought of them having sex so nauseating? (Come to think of it, the thought of ANY of the Food Network hosts having sex is nauseating. Giada and Todd… Rachael and John… Guy Fieri and his right hand…)

    You can watch the 3-part ode to Ina over at Gawker (they disable video embedding so I can’t post them here). Just make sure you turn the volume up first.

    Saturday, April 24, 2010

    I guess i'm just too sweet for rock'nRoll.

    So this is love...
     Doo roo roo roo
    So this
    Is love...


    PUHAHA!  Don't you love Disney?  anyhoos, Lizbot here! It's raining hard outside and it's half past 4 in the afternoon. Georgia weather matches my temperament --so fickle and flighty. =/ But i love this rain.  I love thunder.  I love storms.  Goes so well with tea.   blahrri blah blah.  After returning from the Wessside, i no longer have any desire to go out, drink, and socialize. (although i did go to TnG on Thurs for my friend's bday. and i did get so wasted i had to pull over at a gas station to regain single vision before gettin on the freeway. and the next morning i did have no clue where the hell i parked my car in our complex and wandered around like a bedheaded nomad in flipflops). I always get so worn out from traveling anywhere--i kind of hate traveling. I'm no jetsetter, as cool and posh as it sounds! I'm very NOT HIP and spectacular like a jetsetter either. i'm just normal Liz. I don't plagiarize. I'm too sweet for rock'nRoll.  I'm just me. =) *raising roof*   *churning butter*

    BTW, ever wonder why people choose to be snarky over sweet? I guess hospitality and good manners is a Southern thing...?? NO, because i've met SUPER nice yanks many a time. I guess it's just a hubris type thing, then. Humility is sexy, is it not? I choose to be humble and thankful, always--that's what mom taught us, and i am my mother's daughter. and plus i have this weird belief in karma...

    Anyways, i just spent all this time updating my ipod and deleted everything off of it to start. I love starting new like that. I even got rid of my OST playlist. Don't you love original film scores? I end up downloading not so much titles as scenes; ie. Rachel Portman - "Sam and Maggie Make Love" from the Addicted to Love OST. I love the music from Forrest Gump and The King and I and Gone With the Wind and West Side Story. i'm not talking about the songs and artists featured on the movie soundtrack-i'm talking about the full orchestral stuff and the memorable melodies that make you relive actual scenes in the movie. and i might not have even liked the movie itself (Pearl Harbor) but somehow, the original score will still gives me the chills!! IS THAT GAY?!?!??!?!!!

    But i mean--not to knock recording artists on soundtracks. Good Will Hunting features Elliot Smith who totally paints the quiet, day-in-day-out lives of Southie roughnecks with an eery clarity and resonance. I'm listening to that as we speak. It totally matches my pensive moustache twirling mood and this London-y drizzle. fo shizzle.

    Thursday, April 22, 2010

    PARTY MONSTER.


    So after work yesterday (which included accumulating like every single indie music blog i could think of that we've checked out in the past - thanks unns), I got all fabbed out and attended the Streetfighter IV release party @ Trousdale.  It's super close to the Chateau Marmont and currently the hottest club in LA that caters mainly to the high and mighty of the entertainment industry.  It's open 3 nights a week and damn near impossible to get into unless you're well connected or a big enough star.  Thanks to my new job, I got to check it out.  It was tiny, as most exclusive clubs are.  Everyone is squished and you rub shoulders with actors, agents, musicians...etc.  Reminded me of Tenjune in NYC at its heyday.  LOVESIT!

    When I got there, I almost stepped on Bai Ling and her flaming gay friend.  The doorman would not let them in, and i felt kind of sorry for her.  She did carry the most beautiful hot pink silk clutch though.  Walking in was completely surreal.  Sounds totally lame, i know, but it's true.  People turn and stare you down and you'd think it's rude but it's normal because this is Hollywood.  People stare.  They've gotta get a good look to see "who's that" "is she important" "do i know them from a movie or tv show" etc.  Thinking i'd have a panic attack (hey, you los angelenos may scoff at me, but i'm just a small town Southern gal!) I had to knock back a coupla drinks since i was accompanying my bosses and I couldn't stop fidgeting.  You know, I saw faces I'd seen in movies and in gossip websites.  Not everyone was rail thin like I'd imagined.  But everyone was impeccably dressed.  And NO, i didn't kick it with La Lohan or anything like that, LOL!  She had been there the night before getting totally wasted (the night before she missed her deposition due to 'having no ride to the courthouse.')  
    I chatted it up with Adam Garcia for a bit -- he was in town for Coachella.  Initially, he kept eye f*(&a##ng me and following me around and finally just came up to me to chat.  Let me just say, Aussies are the shit.  I couldn't stop laughing.  He's shorter than I thought he'd be, but then again, I hear  most actors are kinda stocky.  


    The funniest part of my night was going to the ladies room.  In between the sound of piss you hear loud, indiscreet snorting from every stall.  In atlanta, yay has been in demand of late.  Bathrooms are always packed with girls sharing baggies and lipgloss.  Here, chicks seem to have their own endless stash. And they snort away like there's no tomorrow.

    We saw our artist Shifty perform.  He did a lil' Butterfly and something off his new album which should be released sometime in the summer.  Seriously peeps, you've got to check it out.  It's not bad at all.  I'm hoping for a comeback for him especially since he fell off the map for so long and left the biz...why?  I asked his investor and his reply was, "Mainly because he fell off the wagon REAL bad." whoops. maybe it was a bad idea for me to be trying to shove a drink in his face.  Bad Astrid. Bad.  "HAVE A DRINK WITH ME!  COME ON!"  "ahhh, it's okkkk, i think i'm gonna grab a redbull..."


    Lesson 1:  Don't try to make celebs drink.... some of them may have gone to rehab and are trying their best to stay ON the wagon, unlike me who's never been on any kind of wagon ever, in my life.

    Anyway, after playing a couple rounds of the new streetfighter game....OMAZING btw....we went to Mel's, an afterhours foodie joint with some new friends I met from London.  After nibbling, downing cup after cup of coffee, laughing and exchanging info, we parted ways and went back to the loft in starry downtown LA.

    Or maybe there were no stars out last night... just in my eyes and head?  I felt like i was spinning.  Everything is euphoric to me.

    I look down at my cell...damn i ate my battery again and it's 3am.

    xx, Astrid

    Wednesday, April 21, 2010

    I've been a permanant resident of Los Angeles for exactly seven full days.  The move hasn't really hit me yet.  I'm still in vacation mode!  Temporarily living in a hotel in Beverly Hills doesn't really help either.  Every night felt like an event or something.  My sister left 2 days ago and I've been on my own since.  It's a strange feeling being so far from everything near and dear to my heart...missing everyone and everything but at the same time relishing and soaking in all things LA. 

    I love my job.  Yeah, so I'm kinda interning now but everything I've learned so far has left me wanting to know more.  The people I've met so far have been wonderful.  LA is full of career-driven people that aren't afraid to be struggling artists or aspiring actors or whatever.  Just a couple days ago, my sis and i were @ Beverly Center and a guy came up to us on the street writing us some poetry on a piece of paper on the fly.  Funny and thoughtful.  It's all about doing what you love. period. F&%* the money... and the consequences!  So far i feel right at home. I'm living out of six huge boxes and a carry-on.  I'll wake up on a couch one morning and end the night in some hole in the wall eatery laughing and making new friends.  If you happen to see me out and about somewhere, please say hi and let's be friends!  can't have enough of those, right? :)  

    I'll write more later.  Back to work! 

    This is the scariest most terrifying most exciting adventure i've ever been on.  Let's see where this goes.

    xx, Astrid
    ps. unnie, please ship my car out to me.  i so need it.  and my blush suede heels, a new blowdryer, my purple toner shampoo, makeup brush, and perfect lipstick.

    A few good quotes...

    Lesley Boone:  I tried to commit suicide by sticking my head in the oven, but there was a cake in it.







    Amanda Cross:  Romance is the glamour which turns the dust of everyday life into a golden haze.



    No, I don't understand my husband's theory of relativity, but I know my husband, and I know he can be trusted.  -Elsa Einstein



    George Eliot:  It is a common enough case, that of a man being suddenly captivated by a woman nearly the opposite of his ideal.





    Edna Ferber:  A woman can look both moral and exciting... if she also looks as if it was quite a struggle.







    A gossip is someone who talks to you about others, a bore is someone who talks to you about himself, and a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself.  -Lisa Kirk




    Good-looking girls break hearts, and goodhearted girls mend them. ~Mignon McLaughlin


    and finally.....



    Monday, April 19, 2010

    *EDIT*
     have u noticed all our music is not-so-mainstreamy girl artists?  and all our quotes are about women and by women, etc.  we're so girlpower flowerpower and we dunevenknowit.  i read today about some band being anti-experimental anti-new wave anti-anything-pompous and i was like THANK YOU.  i'm so sick of people trying to be different.  we're all the same!  it's like that stupid quote, "you're unique... just like everybody else."  that junk cracks me up!!!!    

    NOPE!  i don't miss my sis just yet.  maybe it's cuz it hasn't sunk in yet?????  medunno.  she's having a gay'ol time anyways...

    i added new songs to our mixpod.  Lisa Germano ~ eerie and ethereal... I added her "Reptile" off the soundtrack for the documentary Tarnation (produced by John Cameron Mitchell), some revisiting of Azure Ray who i liked in college, and Emiliana Torrini - Jungle Drums is totally infectious, seriouslahhhh.  it reminds me of the way i feel after eating frozen yogurt which i LOVE... all bouncy.  frozen yogurt totally makes me sick, btw, since i'm severely lactose intolerant.  but c'mon, it's not like i stop drugging and boozing and partying cuz it's bad for me, so ceasing and desisting the eatery of frozyo is even pointlesser, even tho it'll later make me feel like my intestines are coming out of my stomach like that old guy who fought Spartacus.  pssh, ain't no thang.   

    I can't find the track i heard in a shop somewhere in LA.... something my heart is set on autopilot... you are my lucky charm always keep me safe from harm... blah blah.  could the lyrics BEE any generic-er?

    the day was spent rehashing future plans with me mum and now i must go downstairs and talk to my bro who just got home from work.  PEEECE!

    PS.  i'll write more laters!

    Tuesday, April 13, 2010

    C'est La Vie de Pea

    Currently spinning, "Cocaine Girl" - Nirvana and Little Boots' Hands album.

    March has finally passed and thank GOODNESS it's long gone.  It was a bad month for me.  It totally kicked my ass.  April, however, has been spectacular so far.  Mainly due to one big change:  I'm moving to Los Angeles.  Tonight my sister and I will be boarding a red eye to the city of angels.  I've never bought a one way in my life and it's terrifying yet exhilarating at the same time.  For the past week, I've been packing my Atlanta life into boxes and shipping them off across the country.  My room looks like a tornado just hit.

    "Why do the things that are so bad for you make you feel the best?" - Nurse Jackie

    Don't you just LOVE that? I can easily come up with a very long of list of things that would fall into this category. My vice list has been increasing at a dramatic pace.  But the weird thing is, I don't feel guilty about it. This i-do-what-i-want cavalier attitude gets me in trouble sometimes, but hey, I only have one life...one story to tell, and when I'm old and gray, it'll be a juicy one. I'm not apologetic.

    I hate how Korean dramas always make the heroine the black-haired, pale-skinned, goody two shoes who never wears any makeup.  So.... only the plain janes get the boy?  It's so lame and fairytaley.  If i were to write a Korean drama, the heroine would be a total playgirl (with a heart of gold, of course) and the hero would be one of those cat-calling roughneck salesguys in the bazaars and markets.  I always think there's something so appealing about those guys.  It might take place in Itaewon.  

    Anyway, back to Hellay. Sunday, @ lunch with my sister at Sweet Tomato, was the first time I really began to feel like the move is actually happening. I can't even get myself to picture a long-term/forever move.  It's scary.  I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.  I grew up eating hard core southern food like fried chicken, collared greens and peach cobbler.  Every street has a story.  Memories that are permanently ingrained my being. The smells, the tastes, the people, the southern hospitality...all of it defines me in some way or another.

    But i've got to be brave.  i've got to step out my comfort zone and just go where the universe leads me.  Originally, I had my sights set on the Big Apple...but LA just happened.  All the stars were aligned and I guess the Apple will have to wait for me!  That's the wonderful thing about life...things happen when you least expect them to.  It's the surprises that keep life interesting. It's the friendships, the laughs, the lovers, the adventures that you never expected to last this long, that keep me going.

    I absolutely love orange juice.  I cannot be with anyone who doesn't drink orange juice. It's a deal breaker.

    I will miss you, Atlanta.

    Wish me luck.

    xx, Astrid.