it will be GLORIOUS

WELL. Okay. Hi! It's been awhile. Let's see here...

Halloween was fun! We got the house decorated at the last minute and I carved two pumpkins. We went to three parties, I stole my friend Amanda's idea and went as Little Dead Riding Hood and no, you may not see pictures. (Corpse Dinah = not pretty.) My friend Anna came over on Halloween night and we gave out tons of candy while drinking wine, talking about boys and playing the American Idol Scene It game. (Except really, we were just singing karaoke into the toy mic. Did I mention the wine?) Overall: Fun holiday!

Next up: Thanksgiving! I've already bought too much crap. I'm just so excited!! We're going to have a full house this year, dinner for 9 or 10, AND my sister and her husband are coming out from Minnesota. YAY!! We're going to drink some of the delicious wine we've picked up in Napa & Australia, eat copious amounts of turkey and bread and gravy and mashed potatoes, and it will be GLORIOUS.

On a somewhat unrelated note, mAc and I have come to realize that the A-list of people we hang out with in LA, the ones we call most often, the ones who call us most often, the ones most likely to show up at movies & parties? Actually are the A-List: Allistair, Amanda, Alf & Anna. It may look suspiciously like we just can't be bothered to move farther down the address book when making plans. In reality, however, they really are just the coolest people ever. Trust me.

What else can I tell you? Work is kicking my ass, and that is enough on that topic. I'm toying with the idea of ballet classes. I know, what the hell? I'm also thinking about starting running. You can stop laughing aaaaaany minute now.

I guess I will just leave you with one of the prettiest pictures I've ever seen. Our friends Sarah & Ben in Australia got married last month, and they just sent out their photos. The photographers were absolutely fantastic, and this is only one of many fabulous shots they got.

Aren't they a pretty couple?

BOYEEE, YOU KNOW! BRING IT! AW HELL YEAH!

Hi everyone. I haven't blogged properly in ages. I hope to make it all up to you today. It's long, so just pretend they're all separate entries and you're the one who's behind and needs to get all caught up. Not me. Heh.

April 14: Got my hair done.

April 15: Decided haircut was Pretty.
Also, went to Santa Barbara for Easter, hung out with mAc's family, did a truckload of shopping in preparation for annual marketing conference. Purchased first pair of Really Huge Sunglasses to ever look good on me (not pictured... yet).


April 18 - 21: National Sales & Marketing Conference.
For which I crafted three completely kick-ass mixes named for our conference theme (Fun, Focused, Fearless!), led a fun and fabulous session on making the most of your Powerpoint presentation, and delivered some of the worst karaoke of my entire life. I think at this point, it was Raining Men. Hallelujah.


April 22: Had some lovely ladies over for tea, tiny sandwiches and lemon cupcakes.
(Note to self: Do not schedule parties, no matter how small, directly following a work conference ever. Again.)


April 25: Rob Zombie at the Wiltern.
A great show to be sure, but I was a little disappointed that he didn't have any go-go dancers in fetish costume to dance along to songs like "Living Dead Girl." I had to do all the go-go dancing by myself. Not that I mind.

So there we were at the show, in your basic Rock Pose (arms crossed/in belt loops, one foot forward, rocking front to back, head bobbing), enjoying the thumping and screaming of Zombie while a screen filled with anime, horror, death and porn flashed behind him, and as I'm watching the bazillionth animated bouncing boob on the screen it occurs to me, "I wonder if there are any gay Zombie fans? I wonder if there are any here?" At which exact point, no joke, my gay friend Robert taps me on the shoulder and goes, "Dinah? Is that you?" What are the odds? He was there because his brother manages the opening band or something (and I want to follow that sentence with "of course" but I don't know if that's bitchy). But he quite enjoyed Zombie's set. I believe those were his exact words.

April 28 - 30, May 3: Vegas, baby, Vegas
Vegas was fun, for the most part. The first trip, anyway. Actually, the whole thing was awesome except for the entire day I spent at the LV airport trying (and failing) to fly home standby on an earlier flight. That day kind of sucked.

The rest of the trip was a blast, though, and a delightful reminder about why we keep in touch with our friends out of town. Because, aside from being super cool and fun (duh), old friends are the ones that you can meet up with and just start chatting about whatever. No catch-up, no "So.... what's new since we last saw you?" Just a simple "How are you" and we're off.

The exclusive Scrubs party we got to attend was pretty cool, too. Everyone I met was so nice and happy and groovy--Dave Foley shared his bottle of vodka with me. And for anyone who ever worried about how I might behave when I've tied on one too many, worry no more. Evidently, I just get hyper-professional. I walked right up to Bill Lawrence, creator and producer of Scrubs, and told him, "Bill, I've met lots of people from both the cast and crew at this party tonight, and every single one of them has told me, individually and independently, that they love their jobs and love coming into work. And Bill, YOU create that environment, and make Scrubs such a happy place to work, and that's a really cool thing. And I know you have a hard time taking compliments, but you should know that." After which he kind of sputtered a thank you (he really can't take a compliment), and I just turned around and sauntered off.

Going back to Vegas for work on the 3rd was less fun, unless you count all the ass I kicked in my Big Important Client Meeting. That was totally fun.

**By the way, you should go ahead and assume that in between the dates listed here, I'm at the office working my ass off, or at home recovering from either work or travel. Meetings and conferences don't prepare for themselves, you know.

May 5: Captain Awesome turns 1!


May 6: Cinco de Mayo Part Deux: Revenge of the Tiki Gods vs. Captain Awesome
Really good friends Janice and Kelly came to stay with us from Seattle this weekend, and on Saturday we unveiled the glory of the completed tiki bar in the backyard. And celebrated Captain Awesome's birthday with a yard full of (mostly well-behaved) puppies and (mostly well-behaved) friends. With margaritas. Lots and lots of margaritas.


May 8,9: Flew to Chantilly, VA and flew back.
The weirdest part was never adjusting to the time zone change. I couldn't get to sleep before 1 am EST because my body thought it was only 10 pm, Pacific. And when, the next day, I finished my presentation at around 10:30, I couldn't help but feel in my bones that it was simply not right to have woken up, eaten breakfast, gone into the office, and completed a one-hour presentation all before 7:30 in the morning. WEIRD.

May 12-14: Birthday celebrating and wine tasting in the Santa Rosa
On May 13, 2006, my best friend from high school and beyond, Kate, turned 30. We kid about her being "30 going on 13" but the truth is I'm jealous because she's still so young and pretty.

We went to Korbel, Roshambo and Armida wineries, ending the day with a couple bottles of chilled, delicious sauvignon blanc and a fairly civilized game of bocce ball. At which I KICKED ASS, BOYEEE, YOU KNOW! BRING IT! AW HELL YEAH!

*ahem*

May 15: mAc & Dinah, one year and counting.
As mAc said, "Year one went down like a shot of Hangar One. Smooth and buzzy."

May 17: Sucked.
First, I got a ticket. For not stopping completely at a stop sign. Which... yeah, I fucked up and got busted, and it's totally embarrassing, but damn. That stupid ticket broke an over 10-year streak of NO traffic tickets.

Second, I spent all day in a Really Big REALLY Important Client Meeting, for which I had prepared and prepared and rushed all these materials that I normally do in about 2 - 3 weeks, but had about 4 days to throw together. And y'all? My shit was TIGHT. I was ready to ROCK. So, naturally, I never got the time or opportunity to present during the entire five-hour-long meeting. Which was awesome because, you know, I LOVE wasting my time.

May 20 - 25: In Chicago
I spent the Most Relaxing Weekend Ever with my old college friends, Ryan and Carrie ("Bell"). We ate good food, hung out with the pets (including a big, sweet horse named Louie), went to the Morton Arboretum, ate more good food, and talked and talked and talked. I haven't seen Bell & Ryan in nine years, yet we caught up like no time had passed. You know, the way you do with old friends. It was beautiful and amazing.

The rest of the time was spent at a conference for work, which. Eh. It was fine. I got some decent pictures, though.


Finally,
May 27-29: Big ol' heaping gobs of NOTHING
So nice. So necessary.

May 30: Back at it.
Hopefully the next entry will come faster. Many thanks to all y'all who keep coming back and reading! *MWAH*

to do with the 'do

I finally made an appointment to get my hair done. It's been, like, forever since I've had it cut or colored. Actually, I got my bangs trimmed in mid-February, and before that...end of December. That's how long it's been. It's TIME.

The problem is, I have no idea what to do with the 'do next. I generally like keeping it short, but I'm thinking I might like to grow it for while. Get it past my collar & see what happens. Maybe get it to the point where my pony tail isn't simply a mess of rubber band with a tiny tuft of hair poking out.

And what about the color? Do I go lighter for summer? Or do I continue with the darker color I've come to enjoy so much?

Plus, there are short-term and long-term goals to think about here. If I want to keep growing it, for example, then how do I get a cool and sassy cut today that will grow into something pretty tomorrow? On the flip side, I LIKE short hair, I look good in short hair, and there's really no chance of it getting all that long before it drives me crazy and I hack it all off anyway. Gah!

I know, I put way too much thought into this. I JUST WANT IT TO BE PRETTY.

So I did a super-quick mockup of potential hairstyles using one of those Japanese anime-inspired doll-making websites. What do YOU think?

I still owe you,

But in the meantime, I would just like to announce that the Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque that Megan recommended really did the trick. And a huge, like, 8 gallon tube of it only cost me four bucks at Savon. So if you find that you, too, are plagued with a sudden outbreak of mysterious tiny zits, don't haiku--get the goo!

Sorry. I couldn't resist. It's been a long day. Evidently my blog has become the place where I display for the world just how badly these past few weeks have totally FRIED MY BRAIN. (For example, I just typed, "Fried my Brian." Like I'm going to stick my friend Brian into a vat of peanut oil and serve him up with a side of Ranch or something.)

I gotta go home. This weekend. I will blog this weekend.

Haiku: 01.18.06

Hey, zits on my neck--
Why are you there, wee beasties?
God bless turtlenecks.

"My girl-crush thinks I'm gay."

Or, non-sequitur bullets for the blogger on the go.

1) My darling friend Loren, whose quote headlines this list, does not have a blog but she totally should.

2) Fall is the best season EVER. I love autumn the best because:

• The weather cools off enough for cute jackets and boots.
• New fall TV.
• The best films, usually for Academy consideration, are released in the fall. (Best year ever: 1999)
• I look hot in orange.
• When it starts to rain, I want to bake things and stay home and hunker down with a warm throw and a Twin Peaks marathon.
• The air smells better, like mountains and leaves and bonfires and homecoming football games.

And the absolute best thing about the fall:

• Halloween.

3) Speaking of Halloween, the new decorations at Illuminations are awesome.

4) Last night, I put away more things around the house, including a bunch of dishes and things in our new sideboard that mAc put together. Which means our new soup tureen has a home.

5) I can't believe that I have a SOUP TUREEN in my SIDEBOARD.

6) Do you even know what a sideboard is? It's a little buffet/dresser type thing that goes in the dining room. It's part of the dining set we just bought. A set, as in table, sideboard and matching chairs.

7) Note to self: more rock shows. Less Ikea.

8) Veronica Mars, aka the BEST TV SHOW EVER, starts its second season tonight. Do yourself a favor, and set up your TiVO. I know, I know, it's on UPN, but trust me. It rocks. If not me, then trust Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith and Damon Lindelof. They love it too.

9) I actually met Kristin Veitch (from the link above) when we were in Hawaii. She was super nice, and I'm bummed that we didn't get to chat more and geek out over favorite shows like Veronica Mars and Lost and Arrested Development. The woman's got taste.

10) I don't have ten things for this list. It just seemed like I should end on a nice round number.

11) No, wait! Yes I do--I've been meaning to say this for ages, but if you live in SoCal and are looking for a good stylist, go to Frenchy's in Burbank, ask for Petrina, tell her Dinah sent you. She is the best, and keeps my hair looking all kinds of pretty. (The stray hair in the bangs is totally my fault.)

12) How cute is our dog?

*mwah*

Pretty pretty princess

I bought a wedding dress today! Yay! I'm so 'cited. I'm going to be the prettiest princess who ever princessed alllll pretty. Because I CAN. In my beautiful new dress. And NO I won't post pictures, because mAc reads this. You'll just have to trust me. It's preeeeeeeeeetty.

Now for some fabulous SHOES. Squeee!