long time gone

hello, loyal readers. i'm so sorry for the delay in posting, but someone took my blogging spirit away from me. can you help me find it?

i'm slouching towards the end of 07 tired and cranky and sick with a cold, but i'm trying to remain smiley. at least i am 48 hours away from a tropical getaway, so that's nice and should cheer me up, unless the portuguese man-o-wars or sharks are too active. i did read in 'men's health' (i purchased it for work purposes; believe me, i have no need to learn 27 new ways to pleasure a woman orally) that you should never pee in the ocean as sharks are attracted to bodily fluids. oops.

i have to be honest and tell you that i had a few personal and professional disappointments delivered in my stocking like so much coal this holiday season, so i'm smarting a little. that said, 07 was a banner year, and i feel ungrateful to kali or buddha or pele or hillary complaining, yet still i must.

so, in the hopes of making myself feel better and boring you to death, here are a few highlights from 07:

* i know i've said this before, but dogs will change your life. every minute you don't have one in your life is a minute that could be made better if only you had one. that said, i know circumstances don't allow everyone to surround themselves with furry friends (of the canine sort), but if they do, and you just haven't made the leap, i suggest you get thee to the nearest rescue and get one. lo-lo and jackson are the gifts that keep on giving, and that is saying a lot given the flatulence and leash agresssion we must constantly deal with. in 07, these two somehow grew even more adorable and special. and now you may commence vomiting.

* the mister and i -- though sometimes in danger of finding a pool and holding the other underwater for as long as possible -- had some good times, good friends, good travels and good fortune this year, so that was good. he's a keeper.

* my nephews are almost as awesome as my dogs. almost.

* l.a. finally got some rain. woot woot.

* my attempt at doing my own thing professionally succeeded and i'm working very hard to stop waiting for the other shoe to fall, though i think genetics are standing in my way on that front. thanks, mom!

* the new pornographers show at the fonda was insanely great.

* made it to sea ranch twice in one year.

* spent two amazing weeks in europe with the moms. seriously a once-in-a-lifetime opp and a highly recommend it as long as you have a xanax prescription.

* my 37th bday was spent at disneyland with some amazing friends who indulged my need for churros and peter pan rides.

ok, i do feel better, even if that was incredibly self-indulgent. i'll weigh in with more perspectives of the pop cultural variety later when i return to normal.

dogs in pj's

greetings from the planet 'this is so rad i can't stand it'

reason i love l.a. #328

i'll never forget the first day i laid my eyes on an l.a. morning newscast. it remains one of the most identifiable turning points in my life, and that particular experience is what i date my transformation from a san franciscan to an angeleno to. suddenly, i was in a sunshiney world where the teeth were white and gleaming and the thoughts (when they show up at all) are merely fleeting.

in case you have no farking idea what i'm talking about, please take a look at this and you will understand all (found at popmuse):

just fine

it's beginning to look a lot like chrismukkah

i am so not into the holidays. i could tell you why, but it would be a variation on the same shit i am always whining about 'round here, so let's focus on other stuff, k?

it is raining in l.a., which is just awesome. we have been so rain deprived, and already this winter we've had at least three good soakings. hoo-rah.

a motley crew accompanied my birthday-having ass to disneyland on friday and it was crazayzay. i love disneyland and i love my friends and i could've just shit from happiness. for realz! photos to follow.

lots more to share, but have to run go get my teeth whitened.

it's the end of the world as we know it

and i feel bemused.

blogging from le boulanger in downtown san jose, where the coffee's gross, the mauve and beige interiors are going medieval on my ass, and the wifi is free.

random thoughts:

* you owe it to yourself to check out miz phriedz's spice girls reunion concert recap

* mitt romney wins the award for biggest ideological overreach in modern american politics with the following comment made today in his attempt to let all americans know it's ok not to be afraid of a little ol' mormon:

"Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone"

gag me with a spoon.

funny, i grew up southern baptist, and i don't remember any windows of the soul being opened too much in that religion. in fact, i remember quite a few being slammed shut, but that's apparently just me. thanks, mitt.

what a difference a year makes

this time last year, everything in our lives was different, except our dogs, our friends and our los angeles address. other than those things, everything else has done a complete flippity-flop, and i, for one, am exhausted.

for instance, this time last year, we'd already thrown a christmas party at our l.a. place for the locals. we served tamales from flor morena (closed down). we played music on the mister's ipod (dead). people called us on his treo (also dead). i had time to do things like go pick up tamales (now i don't even have time to shower).

in palm springs, even crazier changes. we had a house (sold). we had an amazing christmas tree with carefully-art-directed ornamentation (in storage). we even have different cars now.

of all the changes, the one i am most at odds with is the change in the amount of time we have to do things like get into the holiday spirit. if it hadn't been for the four hours i spent at the dentist yesterday for my one-hour tooth whitening (please do the math), i would barely know it is the holiday season. luckily, dr. joe plays the all-xmas-music-all-the-time channel in his office, and i must say that vanessa williams is underrated as a singer.

lyrical robot's gotz some talented friendz