I've been cranky lately

I registered! I am officially committed to doing this triathlon sprint in Austin in June. I have so much work to do before then, OH MY GOD. Now, I am kind of scared. Holy crap.

In other non-triathlon/weight loss news, our Oscar party went swimmingly. I kind of wish it would inspire blogs like this one, but we did get some lovely thank-yous. I spent too much time on food this year, then got drunk too fast, so I didn't get to do as much socializing as I might have preferred. Such are the perils of hostessing. I'm going to start saving up now for caterers at next year's event.

Spring has sprung in Los Angeles, which means it's still cool & rainy sometimes, but mostly it's sunny and green and awesome. West Hollywood is starting to smell like jasmine & lilac, and I love it. We've started taking the dogs on these hikes up Runyon Canyon, and even though there's still a haze of pollution blanketing the city, it's still quite lovely.

In other news, that insufferable egomaniac Nader has announced he's running for President again. Really. Going to create some false dichotomies, some bullshit arguments that only you can win so you can try and look all forward-thinking and liberal without actually having to DO anything, Nader? Going to try and help jack up another election for the Democrats by trying to make some kind of "statement" again? GOD. I hate this guy, and have no respect for anyone who votes for him. Seriously. It's not like he actually wants to BE president of the United States, and he's certainly not qualified. (Foreign policy, what??) He just likes to be a pain in the ass, listen to himself talk, and get his ego stroked, and I'm over it. Well, I'm not, I hate him, but I'm just done blogging about it. For today.

If only because, I've been cranky lately. If you wanted to push my buttons & piss me off, now would be a really easy time to do it. Stuff that works really well: don't follow direction, don't stick to the schedule, don't trust me, don't listen to me, be bossy, make shit complicated that doesn't need to be complicated, and/or transform yourself into technology of some sort then stop working for no reason. So, basically, unless you're Captain Awesome or Miss Moneypenny, beware. (Mac is also in the clear, as he's been super-awesome-understanding-patient husband during this time, and I don't know how he does it but I'm sure glad I married him.) Mercury is in retrograde, I have taxes due and no idea how to do them, I've got a million reports to do, look over & fix, and I gained a rather stupid amount of weight over the Oscar weekend and it has totally bummed me out. So, cranky. And if you're reading this wondering.... Is she talking about me? Oh, probably not. Well, maybe, actually. But, you know, it's a foul mood. I'm sure I'll get over it soon.

Maybe I'll go to the garden store this weekend & get some jasmine for my yard.

victories

I just wanted to announce to the world (and by "world" I mean the 7 lovely people who read my blog) that my health and fitness endeavors are paying off!

Around mid-January I hit a record high that I'm not going to publish because I'm a lady. (And, admittedly, easily shamed by the numbers on the scale. Stupid patriarchy.) So I started eating better, exercising more. I committed to a triathlon, and introduced a whole array of different exercises into my routine. I went swimming. I lifted weights.

I started this endeavor only 6 weeks ago. As of this morning, I've lost a total of 12 lbs. My gut is smaller. I'm starting to see muscle definition in my upper arms.

12 lbs is especially victorious considering that on Thursday night I went way "Off Plan" and indulged in Godiva chocolate truffles, fried calamari, steak and potatoes, chocolate mousse, and too much good wine. And then on Friday I ate a whole plate of baked macaroni & cheese at a client lunch. And then I felt the old indulgent, "I'm grown! I can if I want!" attitude slip back over the weekend, when I ate pasta and helped Mac finish off the truffles.

But here's what's different: I also went hiking Thursday morning. My Valentine dinner was delicious, but I didn't eat until I was so full I felt sick--there was still food on the plate when they took it away. Mac and I split the mousse dessert, instead of each getting our own. Friday's rich lunch actually did make me feel sick (and took care of the mac & cheese craving for at least a few months), and I ate lightly for the rest of the day. As for the indulgent weekend, 1) We didn't order any Chinese/Thai/Pizza, which is kind of huge, and 2) I snapped out of it yesterday. Just like that. I went back on plan, I went to the gym.

So, yeah, 12 lbs is a huge victory for me, for sure. But I think the bigger victories so far lie in the overall changes in attitude. The fact that I could see my muscles working while I was on the pectoral fly machine yesterday, and it almost made me squeal out loud with glee is, in itself, a huge victory. And on this next Sunday we're throwing our big annual Oscar party, complete with a vast array of delicious food and baked goods. And I already know that I'm going to sample pretty much everything on the table, and probably eat more than my share of brie because that's just how I roll. I also know I'll send cookies home with people and I'll be at the gym the next day. Just knowing this is a win.

Next goals:

• 5 more lbs, which should get me into more of the clothes in my closet.
• Still need to run a mile (I keep pulling muscles and injuring myself, so I've been walking a lot).
• 3 sets of 10 reps on the "push up" machine without feeling like I'm going to cry.

I also need to buy a bike. Any recommendations?

perfume

Today, instead of cleaning my house in preparation for weekend guests from Seattle and the Best Oscar Party not hosted by Vanity Fair or the Kodak Theatre, I am scanning in pictures from college. After handling these old photos for about an hour, I realized that my hands smell kind of sweet, and floral. And then it hit me: Elizabeth Arden's Sunflowers perfume.

Photos can remind you of your past; smells can really take you there.

I wonder if my diary from jr. high still smells like Love's Baby Soft?

flowers and chocolate

The thing is, I happen to really like flowers and chocolate. And going out to dinner. So a traditional Valentine's for me is totally fine.

May your Valentine's Day be just as satisfying.

HAPPY STORY/SAD STORY

HAPPY STORY TIME!
What I really want to write about today is how I registered for my triathlon over the weekend, and am super ready to go. Unfortunately, registration isn't open yet. Registration for the first city they opened up closed in just a few hours, so now I'm super nervous about getting shut out. Think positive registration thoughts for me, would you? Thank you, I really appreciate it.

That said, I'm proceeding as though I'm already registered/committed. Since announcing my commitment to this endeavor on January 30, I've started working out about five times a week. Mostly I work on my running, since I can still only jog in short bursts. I've also taken the dogs on a hike through Runyon Canyon with one of my employees, looked extensively at bikes, and gone swimming once. (Note: me trying to put on a swim cap for the first time = PURE COMEDY. Very Mrs. Bean.) I didn't work out yesterday and, even though it was probably good for my body to take a day off, I missed it. I've become obsessed with the exercise. I even bought a book about training for triathlons.

Oh, and I've also lost about 3 lbs, bringing my total weight loss for 2008 so far to almost 10 lbs. I'm so close to 10 lbs lost, in fact, that I'm already plotting out how I'm going to run the gauntlet of Valentine's meals/treats and client lunches this week. Because, I'm going to eat the truffles and the petite filet and drink the champagne. So, I make sure I'm doing 60 minutes of cardio every day instead of my average of 45.

Yeah, I don't know what alien took over my mind & body either.

SAD STORY TIME.
In unrelated news, I went to see In Bruges yesterday, which was ridiculous and wrong and surprisingly gory and funny as hell. I went to the bathroom before it started, and as I walked into my stall, I heard a young woman saying, loudly,

"Oh my god, do you think anyone will know I'm bulimic??"

And my stall door shut. I think we both realized we were in adjacent stalls at the same time, and she freaked out.

"Oh my god, IS SOMEONE ELSE IN HERE??"

Her friends responded, essentially, yeah, numnuts, it's public bathroom and you're not alone in here with your stupid eating disorder.

So she proceeded to throw up her lunch anyway.

There's really no sound more depressing than that of a young woman wretching and forcing out her lunch in the stall next to you.

I tried to finish quickly so I could avoid her at the sinks. At the same time, I wondered what I would say to her if I did have the chance. I came up with the following:
"You can't just go to the gym like the rest of us?"

"Oh yeah, bulimia's hot. Except for the swollen glands, the hair falling out, the chronic bad breath, the rotting teeth and that pesky little risk of STOPPING YOUR HEART. Dumbass."

And the meanest of all,
"You better keep it up, girl, or you could end up looking like me."

I Voted

I picked a Democratic candidate that I'd like to see on the ticket in November. I picked one I'd love to see as President. I picked one that I really think will change the course of the US for the better, and motivate its citizens to participate more in their democracy. I picked the one that inspired my patriotism, after years of it laying dormant and abused by our current administration.

I don't know if it matters that I say which candidate I voted for. I think the main thing is, I Voted.

Now get out there, vote, and be heard.

Clearly, I have gone insane.

Earlier this week I told two of my girlfriends that I would do this women's triathlon with them, and I wasn't even drunk. Clearly, I have gone insane.

That said, I've already started "training" in that I've done 40 minutes of "running" (ahem, walking) and 20 minutes of "biking" (stationary, easiest possible setting) twice this week, and already feeling like a freaking gladiator. Mind you, I haven't been swimming in, oh, YEARS and am already scared that I'm going to drown. (Seriously, what the hell was I thinking???)

So here's the big question: who's with me? They have events all over the country, including one in SoCal, but I've chosen to meet up with a couple kickass women I know in Austin, TX. If you're thinking, why the hell would I be interested in doing this, Dinah? Here are the incentives:
* The women I'm doing this with are super chill and not competitive. I've already started hearing rumblings that some of them will be walking the 5k running bit. Mostly we're all going to be really impressed with ourselves if we just finish the damn thing.

* There are 4 months to train, and the distances really aren't that bad. Okay, the .75k (1/2 mile) swim has me all kinds of scared, and that's going to require a lot of work on my part to just be able to do it without dying. That said, the bike bit is only 12 miles, and the running bit is only 3. These things are totally doable. In 4 months.

* Did I mention that the women I'm doing this with are really, really cool? We've already made plans for some guilt-free queso and Mexican martinis after the race. You know you want to join us.

* If you've never been to Austin, it's totally rad. The food is particularly tasty--breakfast tacos, queso, BBQ, and so many other yummy things. And if you come for a triathlon, then you can be all like, Whatever, I just did a triathlon, I'm eating this entire pot of cheese, I don't even care!

* If you're looking to lose weight, this could be a great way to stick to a really awesome, well-rounded exercise plan. I mean, as long as you don't justify entire pots of cheese every day, of course. But running, biking, & swimming are all really awesome ways to knock out some cardio, introduce some variety into your workout, and tone your muscles. Just think of how smokin' hot we'll all be when we roll into Austin. Right??

In conclusion, you have two choices:
1. Do the triathlon with me. We'll coach each other every week, hold each other accountable, cheer each other on, it'll be awesome! And we'll meet up in Austin and party like rock stars, baby, yeah!
2. Hook me up when I ask you for money. The whole thing is to raise money for breast cancer research, after all, and if I, the most out of shape, unathletic person I know, complete a FREAKING TRIATHLON then you'd best pony up some cash.

Go here for more info. Registration starts February 7.

pretty sweet

For those of you wondering, "Hey Dinah, whatever happened with all those embroidery projects you were doing?" (and I know this has been weighing heavily on your mind), never fear! Here's what I've been up to.

First, I OD'd on baby stuff. So many babies, so little time. And onesies and bibs are surprisingly hard to work with, and my hands got tired. I didn't get pictures of everything (I did a robot on a bib for our new nephew Rusty that I foolishly gifted before documenting). But here are some of the highlights.

For my friend Jer's son Mason. The More Cowbell! bib was a big hit.


I love these tattoo patterns and I'm super pleased with how these came out.

I also did a big tote bag project for Christmas, as a way of encouraging the use of re-usable bags for shopping, and giving my family members something thoughtful and handmade. Again, I didn't get pictures of everything (my brother got a bag with a super-cute Flying V guitar on it), but I'm pleased with how these came out. I've started filling in the designs a lot more than I used to, and the results are looking pretty sweet.

For my sister-in-law Sarah. Such a cute monkey pattern.


For my sister Matti, the prof at UT, home of the Rockets. One of my favorite things I've ever stitched.


The six shooters I did for my sister Amy came out rather awesome.


For my Aunt Teedle. The P was drawn freehand. I like knowing I can bust out more traditional patterns, if need be.

The rest of my recent work can be found here. All patterns are from Sublime Stitching, unless otherwise noted.

I really and truly thought I was gonna hurl

I don't want to get in trouble for reviewing the movie too early or something, but by now you've probably started seeing ads for Cloverfield, and may be considering checking it out when it hits theaters January 18. By all means, go with your own gut on this, but I saw an advanced screening of it today and, if I may, here's a quick word about your gut before you take on this movie.

It's shot entirely with a hand-held camera. ENTIRELY. The whole concept of the movie is to really try and put you IN the experience. So it's all hand-held camera work, and the sound can get really brutal. There's also a fair amount of screaming and lots of people talking at once.

There were a truckload of people in today's screening, and lots of them seemed unfazed by this whole deal. I, on the other hand, really and truly thought I was gonna hurl about 10 minutes in. About 10 minutes after that, I moved as far back in the theater as I could, and still had to look away from the screen a lot. And the loudness, screaming, and talking-over thing made my head hurt. Basically I really wished I could lie down after it wrapped, and it's not even that long (about 1 hr 15 min).

So, you know, if you're curious about the movie but found the Bourne Ultimatum to be a bit too shaky and Blair Witch made you vomit in your mouth a little, then maybe this isn't the movie for you. Or, if you really want to check it out, but are concerned about the motion sickness, maybe sneak in some Saltines & ginger ale in your bag. Or some Dramamine. Or a barf bag. Those squooshy ear plugs you can get for concerts might not be a bad idea either.

I'm not saying the movie is bad--there's a lot about it that's really cool and interesting and creative and authentic and I don't mean to review it. I'm just saying, if I'd had anything in my stomach besides coffee, and maybe some earplugs, and my seat was even further away, I might have enjoyed the movie a little bit more. Just a little public service announcement from me to you, my fellow movie fans.

random musings

Just a couple tiny little bits before I get back to focusing on my work:
- My Google news feed today is 60% Britney's latest meltdown (Standoff at the "I'm so NOT okay, y'all" Corrall), 30% Obama's upset in Iowa (and, I guess, Huckabee's as well), 10% writer's strike and, well. Nothing else. Mind you, a fair chunk of my feeds are entertainment-related, but that still seems a little out of whack to me.

- I have these "mood playlists" in my iTunes--Feeling Strummy, Feeling Positive, Feeling Chill, etc. I just created one called "Feeling Country" to hold the likes of Dolly, Patsy, Johnny & the Chicks, and it turns out? There's 10 hours of music on that list. Who knew?

- It's raining, I'm wearing a warm turtleneck sweater, comfy pants, bunny slippers, and drinking hot tea. Today's a good day to work from home in LA, and I am grateful for it.

- I'm also grateful to my mom, my sister Amy, JL, Megan, Jeff, Brett, the lovelies over at Looking Good, and everyone else who reads my blog regularly and comments. It's nice to know my random musings aren't just going out into a void, and I just want you to know I appreciate you.

- Everyone's doing their 2007 movie & music wrap-ups. I burned a lot of CDs for people throughout 2007, so I don't know if I could deliver one CD-length Best Of this year, but I suppose I could give it a shot. Even if 2007 was the year I discovered stuff I'd missed the first time around. Like, the Dixie Chicks "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)"--how pretty is this song??

- In conclusion: SIGH. And, back to work.

shit I want to do

Good morning. It's about 9 a.m. January 1, 2008, which seems as good a time as any to look back at 2007, and look ahead to 2008.

I didn't make any resolutions in 2007. Instead, I had a loose list in my head of general "shit I want to do." As it turned out, I did a lot of it. Some things on that list:

• Learn something new
• Pick up a hobby
• Cook more
• Join a dance class
• Visit a new foreign country
• Reduce my environmental whatchacallit--thumbprint? Footprint. Go green, as they say.
• Get a new car
• Get a new job

I did all of those things in 2007. I picked up embroidery, which qualifies for both a hobby and something new. I cooked and baked more, which I think could also maybe qualify as a hobby. I even won a bake-off (among friends, but still--competition was stiff). I learned how to play toy drums on Rock Band, which is a fairly small new thing to learn, but it's not easy and really super fun so I'm counting it. Mac & I also joined everyone else in the world with going green in 2007. We recycle, oh, EVERYTHING (did you know you can now recycle Styrofoam? True story), started using re-usable grocery bags instead of plastic ones, and switched to biodegradable poo bags for the dogs. Small stuff, but I like to think it helps. I also joined the Y and started taking Musical Theatre Dance class, one of my favorite activities of 2007. I went to London for the first time. We actually replaced my Jetta with a new Ford Escape Hybrid on Sunday, so that got done just under the wire.

And, of course, the new job was the biggie. 2007 for us McLeans will always be the Year of Click. In 2007, I didn't just quit Ticketmaster. (But, can we take a moment? Because, YEAAAYYY!!!!) I didn't just find a new job. I partnered with my hyper-talented husband and together we formed our own freaking company. Hi, big deal.

If I use Click as my reason for why I maybe didn't get some of the other things on my list accomplished, I think it's okay. This endeavor made us both just a wee bit busy.

So, what's next in 2008? Well, again, I think I'm going to stay away from resolutions. The only thing I'm truly resolved to do in 2008 is kick all kinds of ass. I think that when choosing which path to take, the truth is that there's the path everyone takes, the path less traveled, and then there's the Awesome Path. In 2008, I am resolved to take The Awesome Path whenever possible, whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Other shit I want to do:

• Lose 30 lbs. Holy buckets that's a big number, but I think I can do it. Specifically, I'd like to have lost it by August 1, so I can wear something slinky and fabulous to my friend Kristin's wedding in Boston. I'd love to lose another 10 on top of that before October 1 so I can be in fantastic shape for my friend Anna's wedding, and rock the bridesmaid dress. And, no, that wouldn't reduce my total weight to Hollywood skin & bones because, y'all, I am just that overweight.
• Run a mile. Right now, I can run/walk about 2.5 miles in 30 minutes. Hi, I'm out of shape. Of course, I'd like to eventually run 5 miles or 10 miles, but before I do that, I'd like to run one. Just one.
• Keep dancing. There's, like, 3 people in my musical theatre dance class at the Y, which means it could easily get canceled. Which means I'll need to find another class to keep dancing. But, whatever, I love it.
• Deliver something embroidered by me to each & every member of my family. I came close at Christmas, but I need to figure out things for the kids and the dudes. The dudes are, as you can imagine, the hardest to sort out.
• Bake a cheesecake.
• Play the drums for real. Not well, mind you, but after my Rock Band experience, I'd love to bang on some real drums for a change.
• Play my violin.
• Go to the LA Zoo at least once a month.
• Visit the San Diego Zoo.
• Visit a new foreign country.
• Buy a Prius.
• Commit both the McLeans and Click to some charities. Right now we donate goods and money to charities kind of here and there, and in 2008 I'd like to organize our efforts a little better.
  
• Volunteer for something. I'm thinking maybe something with the Step Up Network.
• Go to an art museum/gallery with my mom.
• Take Mac to some attraction in Denver, like the zoo or natural history museum or art museum. He's experienced Denver bars, the Rocky Mountains, driving in snow, and lots of quality family time, but there's still a lot about Denver I'd love for him to see.
  
• Take the dogs for walks in Runyon Canyon, maybe even eventually off leash.
  
• Check out the mountains here in Southern California. I hear they're nice.
• Go on a hike.
• Go back to the California wine country with friends, either the Russian River Valley that we love or somewhere outside of Santa Barbara. Which, hi, it's not that far, and we go up there to visit Mac's family all the time anyway, and I hardly know a thing about pinot.
• Continue to lessen our environmental impact. We really need to plant a tree in our front yard to create some shade for the house, and we could probably figure out a more efficient way to keep our house at an acceptable temperature without using heat/air as much as we do (maybe ceiling fans?). And we could be more vigilant about turning off lights & electronics when not in use. I'd also like to figure out how to make all of our parties a little greener.
• Present a full-on summer season of Tiki Theater in the back yard. Already on deck: Back to the Future, Labyrinth, Hairspray (sing-a-long!).
• Make my own ice cream.
• Play bocce ball.
• Grow my hair past my shoulders.

Aaaaand that's all I can think of right now, so I'm ending on that superficial note. But see? No resolutions, just stuff I want to do. I'm looking forward to it.

Here's to a fun, prosperous, healthy, and fabulous 2008 to you and yours!

It was cold, but it was awesome

I love Christmas in LA & all, but you know what else is fun? A real, honest-to-goodness white Christmas with the fam in Colorado.



It was cold, but it was awesome. Plus, a great excuse to wear my cute blue & orange toque.

I love Christmas in LA

Generally speaking, I feel that LA gets a bad rap. The traffic, the smog, the obnoxious Hollywood/hipster types, and general assumption that there are a lot of plastic, disingenuous people in the city are all pretty much true, and can be a pretty big bummer. Honestly, I didn't love LA for a full 18 months after we moved here.

And then something switched, and I started loving it. There's a lot I love about LA, actually, but mostly I love Christmas in LA. Sure, it's not all snowy & picturesque, but hi, it's 60 degrees right now, I don't need 6 layers of clothes when I go outside, I know my car will start when I put the key in and won't need to "warm up" for 5 minutes before I drive it, there are no windows to scrape, and the traffic is just typically crappy, instead of crappy and icy.

Best of all, lookit all the stuff you can do and see!
1. The LA Zoo: My undying love for the LA Zoo is well documented, but the zoo is even better at Christmas.


Reindeer! Santa! Fun photo ops! Churros!



And if you're a member like me, you can go as often as you want (I popped by one day just to shop in the gift shop & say hi to the lemurs--because I can).

2. The LA DWP Lights in Griffith Park: Every year the LA Department of Water and Power does this big stretch of light displays depicting Los Angeles history and landmarks plus holiday music that is free to the public and also rad. You can either drive slowly through it or park and walk, which is what we did.



3. The Capitol Records Building: Quintessentially LA, the Capitol Records building is a landmark to see all on its own. But every Christmas, they rig a tree to the top of it. This photo isn't great (taken out of my car from over on Cahuenga), but it gives you the general idea. It's a small thing, but it makes me happy.



4. Youngwood Court: There's this house on 3rd St. in the swank Hancock Park neighborhood that is all white and features a long row of miniature statues of The David lining their semi-circle driveway. On its own, this ridiculously ornate house is a fun treat to drive past with out-of-towners. At Christmas, the owners put a Santa hat on each of their David Statues, put big Santa faces on the house itself, park Santa & Mrs. Clause mannequins in the front yard on a bench, and craft a giant, sparkly new year to plunk next to it.



When I lived in Hollywood and worked in Korea Town, I used to drive past this house every day. Last year, I finally drove to it with my camera and took pictures.



5. North Poleywood: My favorite of all the lights and decorations around the city, and we can walk to it from our house.



This place... is insane. They pull out the decorations the day after Halloween, and it goes live the day after Thanksgiving. Every year, it gets bigger, brighter and more ornate. It is, by far, the most Christmas lights and decorations I've ever seen concentrated on one house. It's like a Christmas Giant stomped into our neighborhood and threw up Christmas awesomeness all over the house and yard. I took a truckload of photos, but decided it couldn't really do it proper justice--you can't even see all the moving parts. So I took a video instead (apologies for the poor quality and shaky cam).


For more fun pics of LA around December, click here. Oh, and if you're celebrating Christmas next Tuesday, I hope it's merry and fabulous!