June 29, 2008
Very California day today. Started off at the Getty Villa in Malibu. It was nice and had a killer view. However, in terms of full disclosure (and at the risk of sounding like a pompous *ss), we couldn’t help but to compare it to the museums we went to in Europe. I will let you guess which came out on top.
Starving, per usual, and went to Gladstones for lunch.
Took in the sights (just be grateful that I didn’t insert the front view). This image begs the question, what must have gone through his mind this morning? Was it – “Ok, it is sunny out today. Mid 80s with a slight breeze. Good day to squeeze into my man-kini. Yup. That’s the ticket.”
Drove to Santa Monica and played around on the Third Street Promenade. Threw some money away in the Apple store, with the rationalization that we have a minute amount of stock in the company. Anything can be rationalized, especially when shopping is involved.
Finished off with mini cupcakes from Vanilla Bakeshop. Yum. Nothing like the bittersweet chocolate.
All in all, it was one of those days that makes me remember why we pay exorbitant amounts of taxes and real estate costs to live in southern California. If only I would have remembered to apply the SPF.
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California | Tagged: California, California living, Ghetty Villa, Gladstones, life, Third Street Promenade, Vanilla Bakeshop | 
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Posted by marcypoz7
June 28, 2008
A “random act of kindness” is not a new concept. It has been preached about it churches, widely written about and even glorified in Hollywood movies (i.e.,the movie Pay it Forward with the weird/freakish kid from The Sixth Sense).
I realized today that a random act of kindness is something that you need to commit yourself to. Sometimes it is the difference between doing the right thing and doing nothing at all.
To set the stage – Nick and I were driving to the grocery store to stock up on the summer beer and tortilla chip essentials. We pulled into the parking lot and directly ahead of us we saw a homeless man laying face down. Half on the pavement, half on the grass. We stopped the car and stared. After much debate as to whether he was alive or dead, I jumped out of the car and inched toward him, wondering what to do if I discovered a corpse.
Have you ever been at a wake and convinced yourself that you could see the deceased person’s chest rising and falling? This experience had a very similar eerie feeling.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was likely a matter of seconds, I saw his eye’s open. He looked right at me. He was probably wondering to himself what this crazy lady was doing, staring at him with a look of fear and trepidation.
I hightailed it back to the car, but couldn’t shake (and still haven’t) the disturbed feeling. How were we the only ones that stopped to check on him? How did he end up in that place? Why are we so desensitized to sights that would shock anyone from small town USA? I could tell that Nick felt the same way that I did. Ultimately, we ended up placing a deli sandwich and a bottle of SmartWater next to him. He didn’t wake up and an hour later both remained in the same place.
For the past few years we have adopted a family for Christmas through the Woman’s Care Cottage.
With the worsening economy I had been toying with the idea of stopping this tradition. Shame on me. With the image of the homeless man’s face resting in the dirt burned into my mind, I think it will be quite some time before I throw myself a pity party.
”Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty” –Anne Herbert
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Random, family | Tagged: charity, homeless, random act of kindness, random acts of kindness | 
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Posted by marcypoz7
June 20, 2008
Ok – it’s official, my youthfulness has plateaued. It all started last week when I was having headaches at work. It was incessant. I would go to bed with a headache. I would wake up with a headache. Now logically, I knew that the reason was likely external and due to the hellish week I was having, but the hypochondriac in me went to many bad places. Could it be a brain tumor? Maybe a blood clot?
Finally, I went to the doctor and described the situation. She looked at me and said, “how old are you?” I replied with a perky, “twenty-nine.” Then with an all knowing nod and a sympathetic smile she proceeded to give me the talk, which went something like this “…at this age you are going to start to find that your body may not be able to handle stress like it used to…” Hmmmm…translation: You aren’t a spring chicken any more and you need to start taking your mental health more seriously. Point taken. Begrudgingly taken, but taken nevertheless.
Well, this launched me into a quest for mental well being. I ran out and bought the Dr. Weil breathing CD, yoga DVDs and a zen candle. Later that night, in the middle of chair pose I glanced down at my thigh and recoiled with horror. There it was. A slight, but ever present, dimple. Superficial, I know, but clearly salt in the open wound.
Don’t get me wrong. I do have perspective. I realize that in the grand scheme of life, this rant is a ridiculous one. I also realize that in a world full of turmoil and disease a headache and a little thigh dimple are not significant at all.
After reading this post you may be sizing me up. You are likely labeling me with quite a few diagnosis of your own. If age-phobic is one of them, you would be right. Well done doctor.
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Age Related, health | Tagged: Aging, Dimple, Doctor, Dr. Weil, Headache | 
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Posted by marcypoz7
June 17, 2008
Today marked a historic day for California. At 5:01 p.m. the state began offering marriage licenses to same sex couples. I was home at the time and got wrapped up in the wedding of Diane Olson and Robin Tyler. Much like a school girl watching A Wedding Story on TLC, I was grinning from ear to ear as they took their vows.
Suddenly, a spectator in the crowd began to yell, “burn in hell, you are going to burn in hell!” Now, I do not claim any divine knowledge or heightened spiritual awareness, but I have to think that love may not be on top of the hell-burning list come judgement day. If fact, I will go as far to say that he majority of people in this world would be blessed to have a fraction of the love that some same sex couples share. So congrats to Diane and Robin. And to all the bigots of the world – I respectfully ask you to shut the hell up.
2 Comments | Marriage, family, religion | Tagged: Diane Olson and Robin Tyler, same sex marriage | Permalink
Posted by marcypoz7
June 16, 2008
Turning 30. It is like a ticking time bomb. For the past 15 years you have been riding the excuse of being young and carefree. All of the sudden you turn 29, enter your 30th year of life, and society starts to have other plans for you. When are you going to have a baby? What do you want to do with your career? Why are you still going out to bars? Why are you not going out as much as you used to?
I remember my parents in their 30s. I remember watching my mother get ready for a big night out. Standing in the hallway in my pajamas, as she leaned over the bathroom sink and applied her mascara. I remember thinking that I had “the prettiest mommy in the world”. Suddenly I am in arms reach of the age she was then. Would we have been friends? I do not know.
Nick and I got married a year and a half ago. We had quite the whirlwind romance. Bottles of wine at night, jetting off on the weekends at a moments notice, $300 dinners on Saturday nights. Lately, our talks increasingly center around the falling real estate market, career paths and (drumroll please) having a baby.
Now I know that age is just a number, but the age of 30 represents much more than a date on a calendar. It represents a coming of age. A time when you inevitably start taking life a little more seriously. A time when responsibility creeps in and infringes on your former ways of life. Yes, turning 30 is like a ticking time bomb.
Tick tock, tick tock.
1 Comment | Marriage, family | Tagged: baby, Marriage, pregnancy, turning 30, turning thirty | Permalink
Posted by marcypoz7
