2015 Wrap-Up

Compared to the events in 2013-2014, 2015 was a calm year. This doesn't mean dull though, plenty happened in 2015.

We kicked off the new year at a pajama party thrown by our friends Brian and Valerie, at their business, the La Dolce Vita Tasting Room in Big Bear. The year started with wine, bongo drums, and intentionally bad beat poetry. A few days later, we turned our house over to our contractor for an extensive remodel. We took the house down to the studs and added rooms. The house was originally slated to be ready for Dan's birthday last July, but due to delays, we have our fingers crossed that it will be finished by this July. Although slow, we are overjoyed with the progress. The house has been a very consuming project, with endless decisions and changes. I can't wait to have it done.

2015 was a year of travel. I spent nine nights in Las Vegas, six in Palm Springs, and three in San Diego. We drove to Utah to visit Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. International travel took us to England, France, Spain, Gibraltar, Netherlands, and Belgium. Part of that included a two week Mediterranean cruise with my in-laws and step-kids!

I served Jury Duty for three weeks on a civil case in Downtown Los Angeles. Honestly, I was grumpy when I was first picked, but in the end, the process was fascinating. A guy tried to sue a cleaning company at the South Bay Mall, after he ran through the planters in an Ikea parking lot and tripped. He was unsuccessful in his lawsuit.

Dan's father visited in July and we went to see Dame Edna at the Ahmanson Theatre. Hilarious. Dan's parents both visited us in September, and I took them to see The Object Lesson at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. I've never been so surprised and delighted by a live performance. In London, we took the kids to their first big show, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

We went to several concerts; Old 97's, Brad Paisley ( Dan's first time at the Hollywood Bowl), and Sheryl Crow. We saw Eddie Izzard at the Hollywood Bowl and had our second NASCAR Experience.

With the exception of our vacations, I stuck to a workout schedule ( 3 days a week) with my trainer at the gym. The first half of the year, I lost over twenty pounds and was fitter than I've been in years. Vacation eating and my post-vacation- "let's keep the vacation going" mentality caused me to gain back about twelve pounds. I'm still happy though, feeling stronger and healthier than last year. There is a lot of toned muscles happening and I have decent endurance! In August, I began to add pilates into my routine, which is so much fun. I really look forward to the gym on pilates days, especially with the jump board. I feel like I'm in a circus!

I've continued work towards my three year fiction writing certificate through UCLA Extension. This year, I took seven classes, and I will wrap up the program by this coming spring. Although most of my course work focused on the completion and workshopping of my first novel, I also took Intermediate Short Story and Intro to Poetry. The idea of poetry intrigued and scared me, but I rose to the challenge and found a new form of writing to love.

The big news of the year happened around my birthday, when I learned that my novel had been nominated for The James Kirkwood Prize. I had been nominated by novelist Caroline Leavitt, whom with I took Story Structure for the Novel, last winter. I was elated and it was huge boost when I was starting to have doubts about my story. I didn't win, but that's okay, I was just so thrilled to have been picked.

Speaking of books, I read sixty-five this year!

2015 was mostly happy and calm. I'm grateful to have made so many happy memories with friends and family.

2nd Anniversary Trip- Serendipity, Donkey and Jubilee

Two celebrity chef restaurants in a row? Why not? On Monday, we slept-in and ate brunch at Caesar's Palace in Gordon Ramsay's Pub and Grill. It was burgers and fries ( I mean chips) for both of us. This is definitely the place for a fancy, high quality burger. The decor is fun too, a low-rent Timothy Oulton.

I had been dropping hints all weekend that I wanted a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3. I've made the home version from a packet mix many times, but I had never actually drank one at the restaurant. We go to Vegas all of the time, but this experience had been eluding me, until now! Stars aligned, we shared one of their signature drinks at the outdoor bar.

We demolished it in five minutes. Heaven.

A cute picture outside of Caesar's Palace.

We went to Red Rock Canyon in search of wild burro. It was very, very windy.

We found one burro. He was our friend, until he realized that we didn't have food for him.

In the evening, we cleaned up for our big anniversary night out.

It started with Jubilee, Bally's long-running, old-style Vegas topless revue show. That was a mouthful! Here are a few pictures that we took the day before.

I have no idea what I expected the show to be, as any expectations were immediately erased by the experience of Jubilee. We got prime seats, right in center, in the second row of tables. This was far too close. Jubilee is a grand spectacle and needs to be viewed from a bit of a distance. There was just no way to take it all in up-close. The theater is small, so even the back row would feel close to the action.

Jubilee has an identity crisis. One moment, there are singers doing jazz standards, the next dancers doing a Samson and Delilah sketch, then all of a sudden, they are on the Titanic as they crash into the iceberg, there's a bit of tap-dancing, some guys doing the robot, boobs, feathers, sequins, et...Nothing is cohesive. Sometimes it's serious, like a segment with beautiful ballet dancing, but most of the time it's just corny.

The show is awesomely-bad. I was shaking from trying to contain my giggles. It's completely ridiculous. Christopher Guest is in on this, I'm certain. However, that doesn't mean that there isn't talent or enthusiasm on the stage. All of the performers were very talented, I just had to think that Jubilee is where their dreams went to die. It's so bad.

The other amazing aspect of the show was the clear tension between the two lead female singers. When each was individually in the spotlight, they shone, but the minute it was the other's turn, the one that was in partial shadows shot daggers at the one performing. They seemed to try to "out-sing" each other. This competitive/hate had nothing to do with their characters or a theme of the show. It was utterly compelling. When we walked out of the theatre, Dan had noticed it too, and said that they need to make a behind the scenes reality show of the Jubilee cast. Brilliant.

We splurged for dinner at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. This restaurant has the best views of the strip. Giada pales in comparison. We were given a table for two by the window. Here was our view. Spectacular.

We went with the tasting menu, which included bison, lobster, and foie gras. Delicious, but so filling that we barely made it to the dessert. Dan even did the wine pairing and cheese course.

Our server, who was the absolute best, even brought us a bonus dessert.

Our second anniversary vacation was a success!

Book Review- Kelly Oxford's Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar

I don't even remember how I came across this book, but somehow it made its way to my Amazon Wish List and when the Kindle version went on sale last month, I took a chance on it.

I'm so glad that I did.

Kelly Oxford is absolutely hilarious. I hadn't heard of her prior to this book, which naturally means that I reside under a rock. I looked her up and she has a huge twitter and blog following. I joined her minions to get a daily dose of funny while awaiting the follow-up to her first book, Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar.

Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar is Oxford's compilation of non-fiction shorts spanning her childhood in Canada to her present, as married woman with three children. I connected with Oxford immediately, with her first story, Queen of the World or Something. In this first story Oxford recalls her attempt to put on a theatrical version of Star Wars (Stage adaptation written by Oxford) with the kids at her elementary school. Her story was as painfully awkward as it was hilarious.

In that first story of her book, I realized that Oxford was writing about my childhood too. I was that kid who had big aspirations, boundless creative energy and a need to boss everyone around. It was my way or the highway and things often did not work out as I had planned. If we had attended the same school, Oxford and I would have either joined forces and ruled the playground or we would have imploded. There would have been no middle ground.

Though reading Oxford stories, I went on my own trip down memory lane, thinking of my own uncomfortable childhood moments. Time has given me the perspective necessary to laugh at the child that I was and to see how it has shaped me into the adult that I am. It's all good! I liked this quality in Oxford's writing, her ability to reach out to me as a reader and to make that connection. Her book has more substance than just a humourous set of stories for pure entertainment value. On a fun note, Oxford gave me a feeling of nostalgia for products and pop culture from the 80's/90's that she peppers throughout her stories.

Readers of my blog will find it funny that she wrote a whole chapter about a trip to Vegas that she took as a guest of magician David Copperfield, who is a fan of hers. I read this book just a week too late. I can't escape Copperfield!!!! I still don't know what to think of him.

I enjoyed this book so much, that I finished it during a day trip to Santa Barbara. I ignored the beautiful views of the ocean and ignored my family while having drinks at a wine bar. I couldn't put it down.

Outrageous, funny and often poignant, Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar is a must-read and Oxford is an author to put on your radar.