Emmo celebrities

Carrie Fisher is Awesome

Since I devoured that Sookie book, I have decided to move on to another book I bought yesterday. I started the Carrie Fisher book, Wishful Drinking. I'm only 60 pages in right now, but it's amazing.

Excerpts so far that make me think you should run out and get it:

#1)
In relating how her daughter Billie Lourd (a descendant of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher) and her daughter's boyfriend, Rhys Tivey (a descendant of Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd) are related, she explores what she calls "Hollywood Inbreeding"

"Celebrity is sort of like American Royalty. So my brother and I are like thos sad, sad cases like King Charles, the Second of Spain. The last of the Hapsburgs. Charles was so horribly inbred that his aunt was also his grandmother. And his tongue was so large that he couldn't chew or be understood, and he drooled. Another little challege was that his organs were dying on the inside....he actually smelled. So the people around him would put this perfume on him when he met prospective wives."

#2
In remembering exploring through her mom's giant closet, she remarks that she found among the pretty lingerie, some giant underwear.

"I remember thinking, wow, some day when I'm grown up, maybe I'll get my own enormously big breasts. I used to watch while my mom lifted up her huge funbags so she could wash underneath them. I eventually did get those big breasts, and now I'm sorry."

#3

On being Princess Leia:


"One afternoon in Berkeley, I found myself walking into a shop that sold rocks and gems.

'Oh my God, aren't you....' the salesman behind the counter exclaimed.

And before he could go any further, I modestly said, 'Yes, I am.'

'Oh my God! I thought about you every day from when I was twelve to when I was twenty-two!'

And instead of asking what happened at twenty-two, I said, 'Every day?'

He shrugged and said, 'Well, four times a day."

Welcome to the land of too much information."



I am in love with her already.

Salon Pop & Barber Shop

I am the type of gal who decides to get a haircut and then makes an appointment for the next day. So even though I had a great time at the last salon (you may remember my post about it), having to wait a week or more for an appointment was bumming me out. Also, it was weird being the only person in the salon (other than the woman sweeping up) who was not white. I loved the stylist, but the environment not so much.

I remember that my previous stylist Mona told me that Salon Pop in Long Beach is a good place to go, so I called 'em up and got an appointment for the next day with Beth, who is just awesome. That was a few months ago. I thought that if I still have a great experience on my second appointment, I'm gonna talk these people up on the blog.

I had a great time. First of all, Beth's dad is a professor, so we could kind of talk shop. She's super smart and sweet. Second of all, the place is decorated in a funky mod/pop/vintagey way that is really actually quite relaxing.


Old dresser/vanities are used as the stations. A bunch of art is on the walls, and people are very friendly. Thirdly, last night when I went in for my appointment, I realized that Beth and the shop have a serious True Blood connection!

One of the artists affiliated with the shop (her art is hanging on the walls there) did the paintings of vampires that are used on the Fangtasia location (aka Alex's Bar). And Beth knows the gal who did some location scouting for True Blood last season. This got a couple of other stylists into our conversation. Apparently they are all hooked on the show. We spent some time chatting about the show, the books, and how fun it would be to be extras in Fangtasia.

I got an amazing hair cut. And the shop is totally on top of this economic recession. They have a flyer all about how to get a hair cut that will grow out decent so you don't have to get cuts so much, and what products to use so that you don't screw up your color between sessions. When I thought I was going to get an IOU for a paycheck a few months ago, I had mentioned it to Beth in passing and she said to make sure to come in anyway because she could work something out with me if I was living on IOUs. I don't know what she would have done, but it's awesome that she thought about it. And to top it all off, when I paid and left, it was dark out, so the guy who was working the register (I think he's a barber as well) walked out the front door and made sure I got in my car. Dude!?

Anyway, they have a religious following on Yelp, but take it from me, the place is damn cool and I am pretty sure a great salon 6 blocks away is going to be my salon for a while.

Now...if I could only get involved in this business of becoming an extra....

Bella Hair

Kristin Stewart. What is up with your hair? I get that Bella Swan doesn't care too much about her appearance, but you presumably do have a comb or at least a brush. If this is a big F U to the beauty establishment, I applaud you. Sacrifices must be made, sister.

Lifted from you know where.

I highly, supremely disagree.

I wanted to post a picture of myself in San Francisco at age 12 in a pair of pants very similar, but the fanny pack I was wearing was so heinous, it almost eclipsed the frizzy hair and bad NKOTB t-shirt. Also, I lost the cord that connects my camera to the laptop to upload any pictures. Mostly the second thing, but still. I say no LiLo, go back to the overpriced leggings. Anything but this!

Star Cover

This cover of the most recent Star tabloid made me sad on a number of levels. I saw it in the grocery store and laughed instantly. Then felt all grey and cloudy inside.


My close analysis:

• If they are bugging Suri's dolls to find out what secrets she tells them, I don't want to live here anymore.
• Who counted the dolls? What intern was charged with such a menial task? What disgruntled nanny tossed off such a statistic to her Star contact? You know they turned in some made up shit, because nobody has exactly 200 of anything.
• I like how "nannies and maids" aren't people. At least not enough, as apparently she spent those days "alone."
• "Lindsey Relapse: Cocaine and Cutting!" has an over-excited exclamation mark at the end. Like they are happy about it. You are showing your hand, Star editors. It's kind of gross seeing the predatory instinct so pronounced.
  
• "Where's Daddy" paired with that picture makes it seem like Brad Pitt is not only a deserter for leaving his rich, nanny-assisted wife with their children, but also possibly a crazy person who may hack them to pieces a la The Shining

My final analysis? The cover story titles for the Star are not about celebrities at all. Really, they are the editor-in-chief's cry for help. Candace Trunzo is the one with the "Lonely Life"

My supporting data? A taste of past cover story titles:

"You're So Pathetic"

"I'm Scared"

"Nicole in Tears"

"Tiresome..."

and finally

"Insane"

Poor, sad Candace. Get help dear.

For Sale

Big news today: our economy is in the toilet. But there is a plan to bail out those hardest hit: CEOs. And also, in case you didn't know, you're paying for it when tax time comes around. Don't expect those potholes in the neighborhood to get filled for quite a while. That stuff's on the backburner. Sounds totally awesome right? Well, if you are one of the lucky few getting bailed out by the government, you might want to do some retail investing. Why not the overpriced Angelina Jolie doll?

Artist Noel Cruz created this Angelina Jolie doll which has sold on eBay for over $3000. It is described by some as "so lifelike it's creepy." Now I love Angelina Jolie's commitment to causes and that she sees herself as a global citizen and all, but it isn't like she was all that lifelike to begin with. I mean, she has a vacant stare cultivated by years of growing up and eventually working in Hollywood. The doll actually looks a tad bit healthier. Far creepier is the eBay ad for the doll, which indicates that you will be paying for just the doll, not the clothes. But not to worry, "she will arrive in a modesty wrap."

Gross.

Westminster Mall

My favorite thing about fall is the clothes. I love the purple/grey combination. It's only really good to wear it in fall or winter, so when the catalogs come out I get excited. Every year they are there, together. So nice. I can't afford a lot of this stuff, but it is all my definition of pretty fall work clothes in purple and grey.

I got a haircut today, which always makes me feel better. So superficial, but it does. I bought some work shoes. I went to DSW in the Westminster Mall and found cute work/dress shoes in black that are tall enough so that I don't have to hem all of my pants. The thing is, they are Jessica Simpson shoes. I kept seeing cute shoes and looking for the price only to see they were her shoes. Damn that Jessica Simpson. If she is at all involved in the designs, she should totally make this her career and stay away from....well, whatever thing she supposedly does that made her famous. Have you seen the Paris Hilton shoe line?

I don't even need to say anything. You should be blinded by the hideousness anyway.

Lately I've been going to South Coast Plaza, the hell mall. It has three things I love in it: H&M, the Apple Store, and Paper Source. These three reasons alone keep bringing me back. I don't even go to the main part of the mall, just the little Crystal Court building is enough for me. But Westminster Mall is more my speed. Why? Well, there's a Target in it. Crappy little Forever 21-type stores where you can get jewelry and not have to plunk down $50 a pop. A DSW, as previously mentioned. The sales at this mall are real deal like 70% off sales, not ten bucks off an already ridiculously priced Prada wallet. I have mentioned that I'm cheap, right? Well then there you go.

The best part of the mall is that there is a Lee's Sandwiches. Oh, you must be saaad right now if you've never been to one. It's a Vietnamese sandwich chain. Order the number 5, a pork roll on a baguette. It has cilantro, jalapeno, bbq pork, other tasty things that I can't quite name and it is served on the best bread. Yums.

Everything Went Shaky Shaky

Today was the first day this summer that I felt inclined to go to campus and collect the stuff that had accumulated in my part-time faculty office cubicle (see my mess above). The department admin. asst. sent us all an email telling us to clean it out before the end of the week because we are all going to be shuttled over to some other office. It happens every semester. I am a gal without a permanent office. It is the major complaint of part-time (or as I like to think of it, adjunct) faculty. One day in all of the summer that I trek out to campus and what happens? Oh yeah, an earthquake! Centered like 10 miles away. I was in an elevator when it happened, holding a big box of papers for shredding. I thought we were plummeting, but when I got out of the elevator, which opened its doors mid-quake, it looked like everyone on the floor had experienced something as well. The building was retrofitted, so it continued to sway for a minute or so. Yikes! People filed out of buildings, alarms went off, it was a big mess.

The phone lines were jammed, but when I found out it was centered in Chino, I called my family anyway. I know that Corona is very close to Chino and I had to make sure my stepdad was ok. He's wheelchair bound, so I hoped all was well. Once I found out he was ok, I could breathe easier. In my haste to get home and check on my puppy, I locked my keys in my trunk. God, I'm such a spaz. Luckily, AAA came quickly and I hurried my ass home. My pup was frightened, as I had expected.
Only one casualty in my apartment, a beautiful glass polka dot vase that we got as a wedding gift. Smashed to pieces. I loved that vase. Damn. By the time I got home and called everyone I know, I got a text message from my university telling me that classes were canceled, which generally means there was some damage somewhere. I'm glad I walked away unscathed.

When I knew everyone was ok, my thoughts turned to Dr. Kate Hutton, the earthquake lady. She's a CalTech seismologist that is on the news whenever there's anl earthquake. For as long as I can remember, she's been on my television right after a quake. My friend Brande and I had discussed this a little over a month ago. We looked up her Wikipedia entry and saw that she was described as a "lesbian icon" who has been out since 1984. Both of us were very impressed with her "icon" status. I wish I were an icon of something. Anyway, since we just talked about her not long ago, we sent dueling text messages to each other, not saying "Hey are you OK?" or "did you feel that?" but "I bet Kate Hutton's on tv right now!" Hope everyone reading this is doing well and didn't lose anything important in the quake.

Dr. Kate Hutton, Cal Tech Seismologist