Skating With Knives

I was driving home from a friend's place tonight, when it hit me that I'd love to try out my new roller skates. Only one problem, well two problems: it was midnight and I'm a girl. Knowing (via the informative media) that mass murderers only come out when it's dark, and knowing that if I mentioned being out in the dark alone to my parents at any point that I would incur the not-safe speech, I decided to forgo my Rollergirl aspirations.

But why should I have to? "Is it because I'm a girl," I questioned myself. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be afraid to go skating at night, would I? Or walk to my car by myself after being out? Or a lot of things for that matter. Damn that X chromosome!

What if I took a weapon? I don't have (and don't want) a gun. I don't have (nor do I want) a ferocious killer dog. Mace? Fresh out. Hmmmm….ding ding ding! Knives! I have knives – not killer weapon knives mind you, but good ol' kitchen knives that I could skate with, ensuring my safety…until I fell and pierced myself with one that is. What's a girl to do?

My peak hours are at night, which is when I want to do these things. And everyone else is asleep (except for the mass murderers) so I'd have the streets to myself! But because I might be raped and/or slaughtered, I refrain. And that's just no fun.

Do guys have the same fears? From the few I polled, it seems the answer is no. Or is it a size issue? I know my 6'3", 220lb+ eternal life partner, doesn't think about these things at all (he's a he for those who might be wondering). If I were a 6'3", 220lb. woman, I know I wouldn't fear anyone, or I'd be a lot less paranoid anyway. But what if I were a 100lb. guy? I believe I'd fear many a man…and woman.

It seems the old adage holds true in this case: Size really does matter.

My LA Story

After spending the weekend in LA, and having lived there for a year, I think it's important to share some thoughts with my fellow man. First and foremost, if possible, one should only ever fly first class. Life really is so much better in the first few rows. Second, LA is what you make of it. It can be a great place and it can be a tough place, particularly on the soul. The most important lesson I learned by living in LA is that there are friend friends, and there are friends for each other's mutual career benefit friends. It's hard to know the difference, but after a few mistakes, you'll quickly figure it out.

Don't take it personally (hard to do I think if you're from anywhere else but LA), but that's how most of the town works. The majority of people (in my experience) are there for a reason: to become rich, famous, successful, popular…something, and therefore, the whole town operates accordingly. Now this is not always the case, as I've made many "real" friends in LA, but it's a tip I wish someone would've shared with me before I moved there.

It's also fairly easy to get sucked into the LA scene. It's a fine line between being a cynical observer looking in, to being someone looked upon. It's a town best lived in when you already have a strong sense of who you are, as cheesy as that may sound. Since the entire town revolves around the entertainment industry, it's easy to get obsessed. Beware, people, beware.

Now, on the other side, LA has a lot to offer. It'll never live up to New York and I find it interesting that they're often compared because I think they're stark opposites, but LA has culture, museums, art and restaurants. But what it is lacking is depth. If you feel differently, feel free to prove me wrong by commenting below. I'm feeling awfully cynical today.

So, on this latest trip we stayed at some hotels, visited some bars and restaurants, and explored some different areas. Here are my candid opinions of each:

The Avalon Hotel is a great place to hang out with friends, but only mediocre for actually getting some zzzzs. They serve great drinks (the Key Lime Pie martini is a must, unless of course you are a recovering alcoholic), and they have a cool patio area around a sparkly blue pool where you can kick back in the cabanas and unwind with friends. The rooms in this boutique hotel are hiply decorated and supposed to be reminiscent of the 1950s, but really everything's just in that retro/modern/hip style (minimal lines, white lamps). The beds are heavenly (white down pillows, comforters, etc.), but the bathrooms could use some work. They have those raised sinks, which make absolutely no sense to me. I like a warm cozy potty room, and these are too stark. Located in a residential area of Beverly Hills, you'd think things would be low key and quiet, but the bar scene gets very boisterous (re: loud music and thus loud talking) so if you do want a quiet night's rest you're better off elsewhere.

In stark contrast to the Avalon is Merv Griffin's Beverly Hilton. It's definitely not modern, but it is very comfortable. I like that. My only real complaints about the accommodations are that the bathroom doors are wood slats (hello, privacy…I'd like some!) and there are no bath robes. Oh and the maid staff was really loud around 10am (a.k.a when I'm still sleeping). Otherwise, the people were friendly and it was clean, comfy and smartly located.

Attached to the Beverly Hilton is Trader Vic's -- a bar/restaurant that is way overpriced and way old. It was Vegas/Polynesian kitsch. I was surprised to see any young people hanging out here but there were plenty. The drinks were good enough, the food was only so-so, and I didn't like the old lounge feel.

Another famous bar that's just not for me is Beauty Bar. They do play good music, but it's so loud you can't talk, and being that I'm not some cool rock star alternapunk, I didn't feel like I belonged. I do like that you can get a manicure with a martini though, although I did not.

On a more positive note, I am in lurrrve with Champagne Bakery. It's a chain (only around LA I think but can't be sure), and they have the prettiest tart and pastry-filled cases I've seen since Paris. You can also get soups, salads, eggs, sandwiches, but I highly recommend the chocolate croissants and fruit tarts.

Another well known spot is Canter's deli. It's open 24 hours and is famous for its old (we're talking 70+) waitresses. It's big and dirty, but the food hits the spot. It's not great, but good enough and cheap. I don't recommend any of their pastries, though. Every time I've had them, they've been stale and hard.

Gypsy Café in Westwood used to have the best tomato cream soup I've ever tasted. So it was a disappointment when I had a bowl this weekend. It tasted like Campbell's, and I'm hoping it was just a fluke.

Bungalow Club on Melrose is cool, with private cabana booths and a pretty lil patio. Our food was decent, but nothing to write home about. Still, a nice place to hang out, and apparently they have a Saturday pajama party where you can come chow from 10am-4pm in your pjs. I like the idea of that. Though, I don't know anyone in LA, where image really is everything, who would leave the house not dolled up. So I'm wondering how successful the jammy party truly is.

The Highlands club, in the new Hollywood and Highlands center, is a monster of a place -- like 6000 sq. ft. or something crazy like that. I wasn't much for the dance scene, but with two more floors to explore, including seven bars and a restaurant and outdoor area with a view, I'm sure many find it appealing. It was packed when we were there so there you go. Luckily we were on the list and got to go right in, otherwise be prepared for long lines and $15 covers. Even the girls have to pay supposedly (blasphemy!). I read on the Digital City user reviews that they don't like Asians but the crowd was at least 50% Asian, so I'm thinking someone was disgruntled.

Now, let's talk about Venice Beach. So many people claim to love it, but I'm just not seeing why. It's packed, it's bohemian (re: dirty and homeless-people friendly), and even the lauded canals reek of urine. Kinda takes the charm away. But the real Venice, as in Italy, doesn't have a sewer sytem, so imagine how clean their canal water is. Gross, I know.

One of my favorite things to do (and it's free!) is to go to open houses in different cities. Check out the real estate, see how the other half lives. And in LA, this can be tons of fun. No one knows for sure that you can't afford that $6 million Bel Air estate, so go forth and explore I say. Depressing, however, are the prices of even the tiniest and un-nicest of places. We explored the area on the other side of Malibu Canyon, called Agoura Hills. Being that it's quite a commute from LA proper, you'd think prices would be lower. We happened upon a 2/1 apartment that was old and less than 1000 sq.ft. It was priced to sell at $309,000. Believe me when I say this wasn't a very cool or modern small space. It was an old, dumpy, small apartment away from the LA action. That's almost as much as it costs for a place in Manhattan, people. Unbelievable.

Happy Birthday to Myself

Due to the holiday this weekend, a.k.a. MY BIRTHDAY, BussBuss is taking a break. I'll be outta town til Tuesday, at which point all blogging and DailyBussing will resume. Hope everyone has a marvelous next few days! BussBuss, dahlings!

Ask Not What BussBuss Can Do for You but What You Can Do for Your BussBuss

Hey Busstas! Exciting stuff happening on the BussBuss front. Cosmogirl's site has a place where people who have started their own businesses can write about it and submit it to them. So I did in hopes of spreading the word and getting more people to know about us. Let's hope they read it!

Also, as many of you know, we're on Bust's Girl Wide Web. Here you can rank sites from 1-10 and BussBuss is often among the top-rated. Uh huh, uh huh! Of course, it takes people ranking us a 10 to stay there, so if you would show your support and unyielding dedication by clicking here and giving us a 10, good things will come to you. I guarantee it! And no, that's not a bribe. Well, not exactly. And I'd like to give a huge thanks to everyone who's reading the site and checking us out. For those interested, this is what I submitted to Cosmogirl!:

There are so many reasons I ended up finally taking the leap and started my own business. First and foremost, I'm a writer and artist, as are many of my friends, and recognized the difficulty for expressing my thoughts in a public forum. After all, it's no easy feat getting your work published or getting the art world to recognize your utter genius. Since many of my friends were struggling with the same thing, and getting discouraged and starting to consider abandoning their dreams despite their awesome talent, I decided to finally take action and create my own site: BussBuss.com -- The site for all things twentysomething until we turn 30.

The goal is to publish funny and interesting articles, stories and artwork in a fun, honest and welcoming forum. BussBuss is all about not letting that feeling of 'what am I gonna do with my life' get you down. Instead, it aims to nurture that, to encourage you to keep striving for whatever your goals may be. We're trying to accentuate the positive and scream in the face of negativity. The aim of the site is to be a place for guys and girls to find commonality, though many guys have commented on the feminine leanings of the site. I can't help it -- I'm a girl!

In that vein, one of our most popular features is The DailyBuss. It's like DailyCandy but for the budget-conscious set. We email out one totally cute and fab fashion find, that also happens to be affordable, to our subscribers every day. We love all the great fashion spreads in magazines but we want stuff that won't send our credit ratings to their deathbeds, either.

We also have message boards so our visitors can interact and comment on articles, The DailyBuss and the Busstique art gallery. We have a very sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek advice column, and monthly 'Horoscopes With a Twist for Minds That Are Twisted.'

We're obsessed with all things pop culture, revel in gossip and weird news stories and love the feeling of being young with a world full of opportunities awaiting us. We're Busstas, and we're here to make a difference.

Anyway, I think other Cosmogirl!s would love to know about BussBuss, as we tend to have a lot in common. Thanks for the opportunity to share -- just one more reason to love Cosmogirl!

Par for the Course?

Is it wrong to hate birds? If it is, then I don't wanna be right. Yesterday we went golfing with friends and after a long, exhausting, did I mention long, first nine holes, we all got some snacks. I induldged in a Milky Way to nourish my deprived belly, while the healthier friends got those neon orange cheese crackers. My friend innocently set down her crackers on top of her golf bag while she went to get some free water, and within two seconds this big, ugly black bird swooped in and stole them! Sonuva...mamabird!

Then today, thanks to beautiful sunny Texas weather, I had a horrible sinus headache. Therefore I tried to take a nap. A nap is all, people. My mistake was having the window cracked. Chirp. Chirp. Chirp. Cheep. Cheep. Cheep. Kaw. Kaw. Kaw. Blah. Blah. Blah. They wouldn't stop "singing!" I know there are people out there who find this to be peaceful and pleasant but I am not one of them. It's just more noise. Commotion. Bird angst. Hitchcock was right on this one. One reason "nature" tops my 'Things That Annoy Me List."

Mean Folk

For some reason you'd think that older people would be nicer. Men in particular. Weren't they raised to be gentlemen and all that back in that day? Apparently not. Whilst at this same golf course, the same friend who got her crackers stolen, first got whacked by a ball. Gee, it really wasn't her day. Anyhow, the guy who hit the ball, while we were still playing the hole mind you, didn't even bother to shout, "Fooooooooooooooooooooooore." Bastard. A few minutes later he makes his way down and we tell him that he's hit her. His reply? "Well I'm sorry if I almost hit yeeeew, but you guys need to hurry up!" Almost hit?! "No, you hit her you bastard," we thought but phrased differently. We're ladies, afterall. Then came his insincere apology. Grumpy old men.

War and Piece of Pie a la Mode

Someone wise once said 'Growing up is hard to do.' Got that right. Oh, what the hell am I talking about, I wouldn't even know yet. I'm about a week shy of my 25th birthday and I feel like I thought I would've felt turning 18.

My days are filled with imagined dramas, shopping online, writing quizzes for teen mags and, as you're all too well aware, eating far too much ice cream. And generally I'm okay with this. I mean, these are the things that interest me, for better or worse. Nothing very deep or world-changing, but fun for me nonetheless.

So I find it quite ironic that on the same day that I get a phone call from some realtor asking if she can talk to "my mommy" (I knew I looked kinda young for my age, but obviously I must sound it too since this isn’t the first time this has happened) -- on the same day -- I also get an email from my friend, who I've known since sophomore year of high school, saying that he's flying AC-130 gunships and doing "special ops stuff."

Personally, I've pretty much hidden my head in the sand about this whole war thing, and all world and current events for that matter (outside of watching E! News Live), for more reasons than I feel like getting into at this late hour. But I have wondered about my friend, knowing that he was training to be a fighter pilot and all, and I was starting to get worried since I hadn't heard from him in a long, long time. Had the Air Force kidnapped him? Was he embarking on some exotic mission? Or had he dropped out and started bartending a la Tom Cruise in Cocktail? Thankfully, none of the above.

It's so surreal to think that someone who's your own age, someone you remember most as the new kid in English class, is doing something so grown-up. Something I'd never have the guts to do. Even stranger to think that there are so many boys and girls (er...men and women?) way younger than 25 fighting the good fight everyday. When did this happen? When did some of us grow up? And when will I?

My biggest drama of the day, other than making a typo in The DailyBuss and having a hissyfit about it, was receiving those Diesel jeans I'd ordered from Bluefly, only to find out they didn't fit and I had to return them. By the way, is there anybody out there who actually fits into these jeans, because from what I have gathered you need to be 5'9" and 85 lbs. And I'm not even exaggerating.

Back to the important thought for the day though. What is it that makes some of us selfless and brave, willing to risk life and limb for their country and other people's freedom, while others of us are completely obsessed with all things frivolous and quite content being that way? Someone fights for the freedoms, others sit back and enjoy them. Could be genetic, environmental perhaps, but my guess: It's something in the ice cream.

Desperate Cry for Umbros...and Help

Was I the last to notice that you can no longer buy Umbros? You remember, those ubiquitous gym shorts of our high school years. I mean I haven't been looking for them since, well high school, so maybe this is really, really old news. Or maybe you can buy them and I just can't online. But I was recently asked by my beloved if I could order some for him online. Sounded easy enough and fun enough for me! What I thought would be a quick check on Google soon turned into recruiting the help of friends. Upon my lovely friend's stealth research, she came across this: UMBRO HAS CLOSED THEIR USA OPERATIONS. Is this because of the war? Does anybody know? Riddle me that!

Anyway, I sadly don't have much time to write as there's still so much to do on the site. Plus I have to eat and watch 'The Bachelor.' Before I go, here's a quick update on my sugar addiction: Still addicted.

Just kidding. Well, I am still addicted, but I haven't had any ice cream yet and it's after 10pm. Sure I woke up at noon again, and sure I got right on the computer and didn't eat lunch til 4, but so what. It still counts. Now that berry tart and chocolate almond croissant I had at La Madeleine as a pre-dinner snack, that might count. But it's not ice cream so I'm not sure. But it's a step in the right direction, isn't it?

Okay, dinner time. We'll see if I indulge in dessert, but only time will tell. (Somebody help me!!!!!!)

Neopolitan Dreaming

So when I was living in LA, I became utterly and completely addicted to the white stuff, as so many people do in the City of Angels. When I was consuming it, it made me feel so good -- happy, alive, free. It was the best high of my life. But when I'd come down from that high, I was groggy, tired all the time and uncontrollably irritable. That's right, sugar was ruining my life.

After going cold turkey, I was a changed woman. I was mentally stable (not an easy feat in LA!), able to focus again and not tired all the time. I was sugar-free. It only took about a week to kick the habit, but it was a week of pure hell. My family wasn't very supportive either (they're wretched sugar addicts themselves and couldn't comprehend why I was leaving the cult. What was wrong with their baby?!), but my boyfriend was all for it. My poor friends put up with these withdrawals like real troopers -- tempting me with sweet treats left and right, of course. Thanks guys.

But once that initial week was up, my life became so much easier. And oddly enough, once you're off for a few weeks, you don't even crave it. I was able to fall asleep and wake up at normal times, make it through the day without having any breakdowns, and food tasted so much richer. If I had a tiny bite of something with sugar in it, it tasted horrible -- just too much for my tastebuds.

But did I stick to my sugar-free ways? Don't be ridiculous. I'm not sure how exactly I got back to where I am now, which is to say completely and utterly at the White God's mercy again. Was it when I moved back to Texas and started visiting my family more often? "Have some cake, honey." "Who wants a sundae?!" "Cotton candy, anyone?" It's hard to point fingers, as it's a slippery slope really.

But all I know is that over the last two weeks, I've had one to two bowls of ice cream a day. So what if I'm lactose intolerant. I will not tolerate limits!!! At first, these bowls were by choice. With the wonderful Texas weather, my allergies were killing my throat and I craved the soothing cold relief that Breyers Neoploitan offered. But slowly and surely it spiraled out of control. I bought waffle bowls, hot fudge and after two weeks of searching, chocolate sprinkles. The sad part is, it's all I can think about. I won't even be done with dinner yet and I'm thinking about my next fix.

And even more interesting, or frightening depending on how you view it, is that I'm also drawn to (re: obsessed with) neopolitan colors. Pink, brown and white look so pretty together. In fact, the new pants I'm wearing as I type this are indeed pink, brown and white stripes. I'm so yummy!!! When I paint, those are the colors I'm using. When I shop for the DailyBuss, I get so giddy over products like Cocktail Candy, Strawberry Milkshake Body Wash and Sugar Daddy lip gloss. Quite frankly, I need help.

But I don’t feel ready to give it up yet. They say you need to hit rock bottom, and while I'm close, I'm not over the edge. But it's coming, and this is your fair warning: the sweet life's about to end.

Back on the Sug-Nastay

Sugar, sugar, I love sugar...Give it to me or die!!!

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none today