Les Don't

During my trip back home to Tinseltown I made the request to hit up a Hollywood hotspot one night. Anyone who has seen The Hills (or spent 2.2 seconds in Hwood) knows Les Deux has been the place to see and be seen for the past year. This seemed like the obvious choice for our "night out."

I should have been clued in when we walked right through the velvet ropes without even the smallest bit of schmoozing the bouncers. Past the velvet ropes, an empty club revealed itself.

It has been said that amateurs go out on weekends. Weekdays are for the pros. I still subscribe to this notion, and would argue that it takes good connections and intuition to know where to go on a weeknight for a good time. Clearly these days, those options probably do not include Les Deux. Stay tuned to People or Us Weekly for more information as to where exactly the new hotspot is...

In spite of my review from Wednesday night, Amanda is clearly having a great time

I Don't Get It

There is a hot dog stand just about a mile from my old apartment called Pink's. Supposedly it's world famous (congrats Vegas, you are set to get a Pinks of your own in the near future).

I have no idea if their food is good because frankly (get it "frank"ly) I'm not a fan of hot dogs to begin with. However, this little joint is constantly grabbing my attention. Regardless of the time of day, there is a line in front. Whether it is 9 am, 2 pm, or midnight, there are always people willing to wait for a dog. The line is of course much clonger around lunch and dinner times, yet weekends don't seem to play a factor.

I took this picture at 3pm today. The cab is actually blocking about 10 more people...
I wish someone would shed light on this phenomenon, I just DON'T get it.

Chapter 2

Greek's second season premiered last night. My favorite scenes/ personal greek life flashbacks from the episode include the polytech alum advisor (any greek can attest to the variance of chapters from one school to another) who comes to help the Zeta Beta house, and the introduction of snapping in place of applause at meetings (Gamma Phis anyone?).

I once again have to give the writing staff kudos for making a show that's not only pretty darn close to the real thing, but making it much funnier.

You DO look fat in those jeans

This is marketing genius. These posters are ALL over LA.

Not only is this hilarious, I was actually curious enough from the posters to go the website. The marketing campaign is for the upcoming movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
www.ihatesarahmarshall.com
Check it out!

The Biggest Premiere in Town!

Is this strange to anyone else? An Urgent Care clinic hosts a "Grand Opening" sign out front of their offices.

Lose a limb? Catch the Bird Flu? You're in luck! We have a GRAND OPENING!!!!

Spotted

It has been quite awhile since I have been able to contribute to my "Spotted" section of this blog. Luckily, being in LA, it doesn't take too long for that to change.

Amanda and I dined at the Hollywood Katsu-Ya for dinner tonight. Aside from this being the BEST sushi I have ever had, (if you are ever in the LA area, I recommend this as a must visit!!!) this restaurant fulfilled my celeb spotting drought quite quickly.

Dining near us was the cast of Smallville and One Tree Hill together, and while we were signing our checks to go, Emily Rossum walked through the dining area.

Oh! It is so good to be back home!

Now taking subscriptions!

I have upped the ante with my online nerdiness (which I'm sure some of you were thinking wasn't even possible)
Regular readers can now SUBSCRIBE to my blog! From what I can tell, it will be reformatted slightly. I am still ironing out the kinks.
However, to those who requested this, new postings can now be freshly delivered right to your inbox's doorstep each morning just in time to read with your morning Starbucks :)

LA!!!!

Have I mentioned lately how overly excited I am to go back to LA for a whole week??? I will be there in less than 12 hours!

I am asked almost too often what it is "exactly" I love so much about this city. I will save my "it's because of the beaches, weather, shopping, like no place on earth" speech for another time and focus on the main reason why living in LA is so wonderful.

With a roommate like this, how can you NOT want to be wherever she is??!?!

In case you couldn't tell, Amanda was replicated the statue of liberty...

Mum's the word

I got to thinking that I failed as a blogger (or excessive life documenter) because during my mom's visit, I never got a picture of us together. I joked with my mom that people might just think I made up this whole visit.

Fortunately, my mom left evidence of her trip. Anyone who knows my mom is well aware that she has a certain fondness for doilies. One might even go so far to say that she is a doilie enthusiast. I grew up with these crocheted wonders draped over couches, table tops, mantles, bathroom shelves, sometimes even our cats! To my mother, a doilie is the quintessential finish touch to a decorated room.

I caught her sneaking some into my house from the stuff we went through of my great grandmothers. The next day, I began to notice doilies popping up in every corner. I'm happy to say, most attempts were foiled, although I did catch one last lonely doilie on the table after she left.


She can be SO sneaky.

Spring Cleaning

This past fall my great grandmother passed away at the ripe age of 95... I'm telling you, the people on both sides of my family live VERY long. The other thing my family is infamous for is our ability to collect clutter!
With the Nana and my mom in tow, we set out to go through the boxes upon boxes of stuff my great grandmother (Grandma Womack, to me) had collected through her years.

There are many things I admire about my great grandmother. She was a strong Christian, devoted mother and friend, and avid traveler who continued to take trips as long as she was physically able. We found her travel journals today from European and cruise trips she had taken.

She also spent many of her early years living in Hawaii and California. There are some great pictures of her in hula attire and the beaches she lived on.

Although I am working hard to be the generation to break the clutter cycle, I did get away with a china set, some dinnerware, and great family photos. (My attempt at pictures of pictures to post below)

My Nana as a baby with her parents

Picture of four generations... yes I'm the baldie in the lefthand corner with the chubbie cheeks

This Exit Takes Me Where?

I pass this sign every week going to and from "work" (my grandparent's house).

It reminds me of "derrière". I wonder if this road would take me to a huge rear end?

Officially Done!

I took my last final today. I am officially done at FIDM!!!

It feels like just yesterday I was writing the posting about going back to school to finish my Professional Designation program.

http://cvanson.blogspot.com/2007/12/fashion-school-dropout-no-more.html

I admit it might have taken a "tad" longer than expected, but I relish the fact that at least I completed before my well known classmate Lauren, finished her Product Development degree (The fact that she has launched her own clothing line which already has store placement and has one of the highest rated shows on cable is beside the point).

Here's to a future of fashion event planning, launching my own products, forecasting trends, and becoming yet another well known FIDM alum.

FIDM What??!

Super Sangria

A time honored passage of winter leaving and warmer weather approaching my friends and I celebrate each year is making (and drinking) sangria.

Similar to what baking of pies and cookies represents during the holiday season, sangria takes me back to outdoor bbqs, days out on the lake in Seattle, and laying out in the summertime soaking up the sun.
In fact, while living in Seattle, my friends and I made a holiday dedicated solely to the drink. Sangria Days involved decorating your sangria container, street relays and games.

Katie with her kitty themed Sangria box complete with cat toys.

I opted for a Superman theme, Clark Kent and my alter ego SuperSangria

Sangria can be made easily with the right recipe of red wines and fruit. My preference is to use Carlo Rossi Sangria (yes, the oversized cheap bottles) with a splash of soda water. For fruit, apple slices, oranges, strawberries, and raspberries work well.

For an easier recipe, order off the menu! The Brazilian restaurant in Pike Place has both white and red options. Both are delicious!

Working from home

There are many things I have discovered in the past few months that come with the "home office" package. I recently spoke with the husband of Nick's coworker. Peter (or Pete-O as he introduced himself... uh frat boy anyone?) also just joined the work from home club. He said he had slowly been evolving into that nosy neighbor who keeps an eye on everything. Being home, has enabled him to keep tabs on the coming and goings of most people on the block. There is apparently a neighborhood website that he frequently contributes postings to (I imagine they go something like "the Smiths should be notified that a barking dog left unattended is a violation of the home owners association" or "is the new paint color trimming on the Anderson's house an approved palette color?")

I could care less about the people who inhabit my neighborhood. This is mainly because they are crass builders who litter my lawn and leave each night.

Another thing Pete-O talked about was the realization that three days will pass without him leaving the house. Now THIS is something I can relate to. I find myself not getting out of sweats for more than a day, bypassing the makeup option, and utilizing my Bumble and Bumble hair powder a few days too many. To make matters worse, when I was shopping last weekend in Austin, I decided against a lovely pair of stilettos for the sole reason that I just don't wear them as much anymore. LA Carina would be horrified!

Even though I miss my hot shoes, happy hours with coworkers, coffee breaks with friends, and cute accounting guys ;) working from home is not all bad. I'm caught up on my Golden Girls and I Love Lucy, can run or do Yoga whenever I choose during the day, and am getting a lot of use out of my Pucci scarves and Juicy suits!

Most importantly, I'm building my future by working for myself in a company that will be my own sooner than later. Autonomy and a real career have their price, if you ask me, I'm willing to pay it.

Playing House

I've been working on a new online marketing "campaign" of sorts to attract a younger generation to my company's events. Since this company was managed by my grandparents before I came on board, the internet was not a frequently used tool. One aspect of the marketing project is networking via good ol' Myspace. In addition to jewelry and clothing designers, I have come upon a new target sector to befriend: Luxury children's companies.

This sparks my interest creatively as well as keeping a shopping eye out for my dear friends who have caught the pregnancy epidemic and should be showered with such gifts as feather door wreaths, custom car seat covers, and imported vintage prams from England.

Today, however, I saw something that truly took me aback... which is hard to do, I've shopped the baby boutiques on Rodeo!

There is a luxury toy company that makes play houses and castles unlike anything I have ever seen.

This home looks like it's come straight from Wisteria Lane.

Can I just note that this entry way is even nicer than MY own grown up house?

And although Kim just finished her very lovely kitchen (see "other blog" links) I'd have to say this one is just as nice.

Please note the window seat in the back room here, and the hardwood throughout

For those who are not ready to make the mortgage commitment for their little tikes, perhaps a custom castle bed would be a better option? It's not too clear in this photo, but the entire bed is covered in glitter.

Lastly, since most friends still have the bun in the oven, the luxury cribs may be more fitting to look into. Designs range from merry-go-round to a Memoirs of a Geisha inspired crib (is that weird to anyone else???). My guess is this is the Moulin Rouge edition.

Even as I looked at these again, they still seem too over the top to be real. There are plenty more toys and furniture to be seen at http://www.bundlesofblossoms.com/ and http://www.kidsuniquebeds.com/

Don't worry, there are boy's mini airplanes and manly castles too ;)

I want to be the next American Idol!

OK, not really... but that's what Simon and Randy always ask everyone auditioning. If I could sing (and I WISH I could!) then maybe it would be a different story.
Until that day, here are my two favorite contestants/ fave performances of theirs this season:

Jason Castro - I love his guitar playing singer songwriter air, the blue eyes aren't bad either ;) I'm sure Miss Amanda Grant is a fan of his dreads





Brooke White - Move over Carrie Underwood, America has a new sweetheart. I can't decid if I love her wholesome niceness or if it really annoys me. It's most likely the former as she's classy, genuine and aside from some of her competitors, knows how to use proper grammar in interviews (SUCH a pet peeve of mine)

I'm also jonesing the Australian Michael Johns... it must be the accent, or the fact that he sang my favorite Wayne's World song Bohemian Rhapsody during Hollywood week tryouts.

On another note (get it? "note"... ok bad joke) I was less than impressed with the performance last week of my fave from the 2007 season, Blake Lewis. There was nothing specifically wrong with it, just underwhelming.

Here Kitty Kitty

My parents brought home a new addition last week, a little black kitten they've named Zoe.

I think she'll prefer my nickname for her, Jesus Junior (Jesus Sr. was the cat we had at the Trailer in college who now resides with Jamie and Marty in Vegas... the resemblance is uncanny)

My mom is coming to visit next week, perhaps I can convince her to bring Zoe along!

Jesus Jr. is already learning, to be a Van Son, books are a MUST

"My Motherboard, My Self"

Remember the Sex and the City episode when Carrie's computer crashes? No one can believe that she's never backed up her files, and she ends up taking her beloved laptop to the repair shop wrapped up in a pashmina... Welcome to a glimpse of my life.
http://www.hbo.com/city/episode/season4/episode56.shtml

The DVD drive in my computer has been on the fritz for about a week, and just today the entire laptop decided to quit acknowledging any sort of command I would give it (open a program, save a file, shut down)

Luckily the laptop is still under warranty and anything that may need to be replaced is covered. Anything meaning hardware. Apparently after about 45 minutes on the phone with Dell via some outsourced location, software is not covered in the warranty. Of course after diagnostic tests, I found out the hardware is just fine, its my software.

I am about as attached to my laptop as most people are to their children. I literally never leave home without it. It matches just about every outfit I own, travels well, and most importantly is the connection to my world (insert "my HP" celeb ad here)

Until things have been worked out, I think I will learn from Carrie's mistakes. I am backing up all files, wrapping good ol' Pinky in a lovely cashmere wrap, and keeping my fingers crossed I don't get any sour faced icons :S

March Madness

No I'm not referring to college basketball, more importantly how excited I am for my upcoming trips this month!!

Itinerary is as follows:

Austin this week - Thurs through Monday

Mom's visit to New Mexico - March 15 through 21

LA (yessssss) - March 22 through 28

Portland - March 28 through TBD

Seattle - Sometime after Portland

Spokane - April 4 - 6 for Mel P and Baby P's shower

The next few weeks will be a brief visit to almost all my favorite places and people! I can't wait to hit the beach in Venice, have dinner at Luna, shop in Hollywood, play tourist at Pike Place, and step in as Bridesmaid/ wedding plan helper in Portland with Megan.

With all this planned perhaps I should enlist close friend and professional itinerary maker Jamie Johnson to help keep me organized...

Of course, everything will be covered in detail here on the ol' blog.

New TV crush alert

I don't think I've been so excited for a new show since, well, ok Gossip Girl. Please understand, with the strike still affecting the usual shows I watch (I guess the writers have to catch up or something... whatev) finding new episodes of a decently amusing show is kind of a big deal for me.

The new love is Greek. I found it on ABC Family online. The show has already seen it's first season come and go, and lucky for me the second season begins March 24th!

Movies and shows about greek life are nothing new. It's a topic that might actually be a little tired; Van Wilder, Legally Blonde, Animal House, those Mtv Greek reality shows, and Old School are just a few that come to mind. The difference with this show is that it's refreshingly accurate and still funny.

Of course everything has been dramatized to focus on a love triangle, catty girl fights, and hazing.

However, the themed parties, rush, study files (yes those old tests so graciously donated by former members), drinking, chapter meetings, even the stereotyped chapter houses make me feel like a young pup of 19 again. I'm almost surprised that it's aired on a family based channel more fit to show the Gilmore Girls and 7th Heaven.

Another reason I love this show is because the guy's characters come a little close to comfort of my relationships past. The uptight born again Christian, the All American boy, and my favorite the witty, charming, ever partying, sometime-slacker who quite closely resembles my current squeeze. (I've also formed a bit of a TV crush on the actor who plays this role. Imdb tells me his name is Scott Michael Foster, who can also be caught on NBC's new series Quarterlife, mentioned here a few months ago http://cvanson.blogspot.com/2008/01/boob-tube.html)

Weekend Project

Instead of sewing reusable grocery bags out of t shirts... (wow that sounds even more hippie than I anticipated), this past weekend I took on a slightly larger project. Nick has already begun to make fun of my new weekend craft tradition. Hey - I have to pass the time somehow~

I could blab on and on about the project, but I'm pretty certain the pics will explain. They are after all worth 1000 words (maybe only 50 are needed in this instance)

Before

During the process

All sanded down

First coat of paint

All finished and ready for office storage!

This was my great grandmother's dresser, which I've been told is over 65 years old, yikes! And of course, we all know how I love to recycle furniture. It's ready for a new life

A New Addition

I got a new pet today. Please meet Sammy the Gecko. Don't confuse him with the one from Geico. Sammy is not from Australia and is a little sensitive about the mistaken identity. Similar to Jesus and MJ, the cats we had at the Trailer in college, Sammy is a stray and found his way to my house.

I don't intend to housebreak Sammy. For now I think it's best he remain outside. But I have let him know he is welcome to make himself at home in the backyard. If only I can learn how to train him as a guard gecko, we'd be in good shape.

Password security questions

I have a growing pet peeve. I hate the secondary password retrieval questions offered to me when I am setting up any sort of online account. Unfortunately, I am always forgetting what password belongs to which account, so I am always using this security step.

The problem is that most of the questions offered are subjective, not concrete. Instead of “What is your mother’s maiden name?” or “What is your father’s birthday?” (both of which hold answers that won’t change), I’m seeing questions such as “What was your first pet’s name?” “What park did you like to play in as a child?” “Who is your favorite musician?” or “How does your ex-boyfriend’s mother prefer to take her coffee on the weekends?” All questions I will never remember the answers to. What’s worse, many companies now make me choose more than one question to set up! How am I supposed to remember if I chose the first pet I can recall or the first pet I owned as an adult? What if I have more than one favorite musical artist and can’t remember which one I chose for this particular question? Which ex-boyfriend did I choose for the coffee question?

Ahhhhh! It’s all too much. Can’t I just be allowed to create my OWN questions and answers?

Speaking of favorite musicians though, I can't stop listening to Cary Brothers right now. I've had his CD for almost a year and it still remains one of my most played. Ironically, it took me a long time to initially hop on the fan train with him. It wasn't until I saw him live that I was onboard.

I'm completely crushed that I'll be missing him AGAIN this year at Austin's SXSW music festival! I'll be leaving town just two days before :(

He happen to reshoot the video for his song Ride. I wonder if Zach Braff is mad at Cary for not using his version anymore... (personally, I like Zach's version better than this new one) According to Cary, this video is supposed to be more artistic and allow the viewer to interpret the content. I say he saw the opportunity to cast bigger actors for a song and took it. Oh Hollywood.