...Couple Things...

So.... I'm pretty excited that the Giants won. So much so, that I completely lost my voice. The Super Bowl was on my birthday, and I had quite the bash at Cabo Cantina in Venice. If you were there, you know. And thank you to those of you who showed your adorable faces. I appreciate it greatly. And to those of you who couldn't join us but still called to send your well-wishes, much thanks to you too.

Moving on... I am obsessed with the new Feist song. Here are the lyrics. HAPPY BELATED FAT TUESDAY AND YAAAAAAAY GIANTS!!!! :)

"I Feel It All"

I feel it all, I feel it all

I feel it all, I feel it all

The wings are wide, the wings are wide

Wild card inside, wild card inside

Oh I'll be the one who'll break my heart

I'll be the one to hold the gun

I know more than I knew before

I know more than I knew before

I didn't rest, I didn't stop

Did we fight, or did we talk?

Oh I'll be the one who'll break my heart

I'll be the one to hold the gun

I love you more

I love you more

I don't know what I knew before

But now I know I wanna win the war

No one likes to take a test

Sometimes you know more is less

Put your weight against the door

Kick drum on the basement floor

Loved him like a winder bird

On my head the water pours

Gulf stream through the open door

Fly away, try to make the world you want to make

Oh-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

I feel it all! I feel it all!

I feel it all! I feel it all!

The wings are wide! The wings are wide!

Wild card inside, wild card inside

Oh I'll be the one who'll break my heart

I'll be the one who'll break my heart

I'll be the one who'll break my heart

I'll end it, though you started it

The truth lies

The truth lied

And lies divide

Lies divide

P.S. If you are a Texas alum, or just a fan of UT, and you live in LA, I better see you at Thirsty Thursday tonight at The Parlor, on Wilshire in Santa Monica. Seriously. BE THERE! :)

Dark Mountain

It's taken me a few weeks to actually wrap my mind around the whirlwind that was my trip to Vail this year, but the past few days have allowed me to unwind myself enough to really gauge what took place on my short but memorable journey to the middle. 

First of all, it was awesome. Second of all, it was awesome. But aside from its awesomeness (in pretty much every conceivable way) I really feel like I grew as a person. 

Sounds lame, I know. But I'm serious. I got to ski in some of the best snow I've seen in a decade. I got to spend time with my family in one of the most exclusive ski towns on the planet. I got to hang out with my awesome brother, who amazes me more every day with his strength of heart and an uncanny wisdom he's somehow acquired at such a young age. I met someone in a van on the way to Vail from the Denver Airport who has proved to be a real gem of a friend, both in ski country and in Los Angeles. And I also met a guy who worked in a bar who turned out to be not just a guy who worked in a bar, but someone who helped me see that I've got a lot more living to do and I'm worth taking a huge risk for.

I'm usually pretty ready to come home from Colorado each year after being stuck with my family for 8 days. But this year, I realized I wasn't stuck with anything. I was blessed. And I wept as I flew over the mountains on my way back to Los Angeles. I wasn't just sad to be leaving the mountains, but sad to be ending a Christmas vacation I will never, ever forget. 

So, thanks to those of you who helped make that nostalgia possible. I may shed a tear now and then thinking back on the 8 short days of December 2007 I spent in Colorado, but it won't be out of sadness. That I know for sure...

Late Night Conversations With Myself

First and foremost, I fully expect that this entry will never be seen by its intended reader. However, it is a world wide web, and who am I to assume that in its vastness this tiny gesture couldn't somehow find its way to its destiny. In any case, here it is:

I was thinking, as I often do, and upon such thoughts as, "Why doesn't google automatically capitalize words like my BlackBerry does?..." I came across the pondering, "Hmm... Incubus is kind of a cool band."  This is not a new idea, of course, as I've enjoyed this band for some time. Perhaps not as much as Jimmy Eat World or Muse, but quite a bit nonetheless. And speaking of Muse.... 

This Incubus song should have come out circa 2003... it would have possibly saved me from a world of heartache. Although, "Time is Running Out" seemed to have given me only a giggle of a clue so I guess it's touch and go with these things. Any way you slice it, though, this song pretty much sums up a relationship I was both cursed and blessed with....

I'll never forgive you, but I'll definitely never forget you either. You know who you are........

Incubus - "Oil and Water"

You and...

I are... like oil and water

We've been tryin'

Tryin'

Trying

Ohhhh... to mix it up

We've been...

Dancing... on a volcano

And we've been cryin'

Cryin'

Crying

Ohhh... over blackened souls

Babe, this wouldn't be the first time

It will not be the last time

There's no parasol that could shelter this weather

I've been...

Smiling... with anchors on my shoulders

And I've been dyin'

Dyin'

Dying

Ohhh... to let them go

Babe, this wouldn't be the first time

And it will not be the last time

There's no parasol that could shelter this weather

We've been...

Lying... to each other

Hey! Babe, let's just call it, 

Call it

Call it

Ohhh... what it is

Oil and water...

Day From Hell

At around 9:30 this morning, in the pouring rain, I attempted to convince a cop not to impound my car, which was LEGALLY parked on a street in Santa Monica. However, the fact that it had quite expired Texas registration tags meant I wasn't going to talk my way out of that mess.

So, the next 7 hours of my day were basically about as painful as sticking hot pokers in my eyes. Thankfully, I met this kick ass chick last night at a movie premiere and she carted me around all day whilst I ran the gauntlet of crap that needed to be done in order to get my car out of the impound. Hannah Banana is my hero.

In case you live in Los Angeles and think you can get away with not registering your car here, hear this:  You are sorely mistaken. Here is what you will be put through if you should stupidly decide, as I did, that renewing your registration is not important...

1. Your car can be impounded from the street even if you are legally parked (apparently).

2. In the event that it is impounded, it's not like you can just show up at the tow yard and pick it up after shelling out a few hundred bucks.

3. You must first bring the title, registration, and insurance information to the DMV, where you will wait for hours among some of the most grotesque people you've ever laid eyes on.

4. The DMV will harass you and make you feel like the scum of the earth before FINALLY processing your "temporary registration" and charging you a minimum of $200. 

5. Next you must go to the local police station to get your car "released" from the tow yard. To do this, you must bring them the temporary registration you just got from the DMV and sit in a cold, poorly decorated waiting room while the only detective that handles auto impound is in a 5 hour meeting and taking her sweet time to get back to the office. 

6. Lastly, when you finally get to speak to a real live person, they give you a document that you must bring to the tow yard to officially release your vehicle back into your possession. But of course, by the time you make it back over to the tow yard, there is a line 10 deep and it's pouring again outside and they're taking 30 minutes per angry car owner. 

7. Don't forget to run out of gas on the way home. That's an important step.

Yes. Today sucked. Tomorrow will be better. Thursday will be awesome because I'll be in Colorado. 

Take it sleazy, kids. And renew your registration. 

God's Country

One week from today, I will be here. Atop one of the most beautiful and challenging snow hills in the world - Vail Mountain. Well, in my humble opinion, at least. And the humble opinion of many professional skiers I know. 

For those of you who know me, you know that I get to enjoy this view at least once a year because my grandmother lives in Vail and we spend Christmas every year as a family with her in her home. Unfortunately, this may be one of the last years we are able to do this. So this year I have to make certain I don't take this rare and fortunate opportunity for granted and enjoy every minute I get to spend there to the fullest. 

So here's to you and yours, wishing you all a Merry ChristmaKwanzaKah. Or whatever Holiday you celebrate. Keep warm, try to enjoy a wood-burning fireplace somewhere, roast a marshmellow or hotdog or two, and get a little skiin' in if you have the means. Whatever you do, take a little time to tell the people you love how important they are to you. 'Tis the season, afterall...

Much love,

Pam

Ashes by KT Tunstall

I am a pain in you're ass
And I'm wondering how long it's gonna last
Be my mirror, be my friend,
Be the workhouse of the energy
I twist your arm to spin

Everyday, like a power station
You know it isn't good
I know you're burning too much wood
Oh, and when you burn out
The twisted irony is
Your ashes come home to me
Come home to me

So we take a walk
To make some sense
And I'm wondering if you fancy my advance
I have pushed you
Way too far
And you say, "Fuck you, little princess!
Who the hell do you think you are?"

Everyday, like a power station
You know it isn't good
You know you're burning too much wood
But I said if you burn out
The twisted irony is
Your ashes come home to me
Come home to me
Come home to me

Yeah well your ashes come home to me
Come home to me
Come home to me

You know well the circus gonna have you on a fucking mantelpiece
The mantelpiece
The mantelpiece

Ode To The Backbone

I'll start this one by saying, "Hello! I'm back, bitches. And whether you like it or not, I'm going to say what I want. Offensive or not. And the WGA strike can kiss my ass. This writer is back in action and I don't need to get paid to compose literature of substance."

That said, today's topic is: "Backbones: Do you have one?"

Of course, we are all born with spines. Well, most of us. Some of us have crooked ones or broken ones but the majority of homo-sapiens have perfectly solid backbones. Literally speaking. Unfortunately, such is not the case in the figurative sense.

Here are a few questions one could ask themself if they were in doubt that they possessed this figurative "backbone."

1. When someone walks all over you, do you allow it or do you buck up and tell them to f*ck off and get over themselves?

2. When you say you're going to DO something, do you just say it or do you actually DO it? (This does not refer to favors... this refers to real things like, I dunno, standing up for yourself.)

3. Do you have a group of people that would stand in front of a speeding train if they knew it would save your life? Being the one who would do that for others doesn't count. The point of being someone with backbone is that people respect you and would do the same for you.

4. Instead of dealing with problems directly, do you let them fester and say nothing in order to avoid conflict?

5. Do you think that if you actually do stand up for yourself it's considered fighting?

6. Do you constantly think that by rationalizing that the fact that other people consistantly bail on you is your fault you can ignore the fact that people only do what you let them get away with?

7. Do you think it's better to be seen as a pushover than an asshole and try to think of yourself as somewhere in between to avoid actually admitting that you're a pushover?

8. Do you find that complacency is the key ingredient to your sanity?

9. Do you start making lists of all the things you want to accomplish, get to #6, give up and think, "That's enough for now... plus I don't want to actually have to tackle the things that are really setting me back..."?

10. Is your idea of showing emotion to pout and say, "Hey now..." rather than saying what it is you REALLY want to say?

... and lucky number 11. Do you lack passion in your life????

If you answer yes to most or all of these questions, you may not have a backbone. And here's my solution.

Stop whining and take action. It's one thing to be understanding and sweet and a good friend, but after a while it gets boring. If you never do anything for yourself, no one else will want to do anything for you either.

So take a good look in the mirror, make a real list of the things you want to change about yourself, and do it. Take Nike's advice. JUST DO IT! Friends were not created to "kick your ass" but they were made to tell you you're being a giant schmuck when necessary.

In the meantime, the battle of the blogs is on hiatus. Gimme a call when your balls drop and we'll go from there.

Adieu.