an elephant named Jennie.

Today Jeff and I ventured to the Skirball with M and M to see the Houdini exhibit. We’d been talking about it all summer, and with only two weekends to go, despite still feeling the kick of this summer cold, we decided it was best we go. Off to the westside we went, to see Houdini and all his magician glory.

Photo from the Skirball website

As it turns out, the Skirball was having another exhibit about Jewish magicians in general, which was a fun way to see where Houdini fit into the historical timeline. Also interesting was the hand lithography had in making magic as well known and popular as it became during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The exhibit was a good time, although we were sad not to see any magic acts taking place, and missed the musical portion of the afternoon. We did get tacos afterwards though, so all and all, a good day with M and M.

And, we did find out that Houdini’s elephant’s name was Jennie. A perfect name for a disappearing elephant, I think.

 

shower the people.

I’m feeling love, today, friends.

And so, I shower the people I love. with love.

Mary: Happy Birthday, lady! Happy 25. Happy done with 365. Happy new job where you get paid to do what you love. Happy summer. Happy memorial day. Happy I’m glad you’re alive and we’re friends.

Ellen: I am so proud of you in your new venture. You’re a champion of the world, and I know that getting the opportunity to get paid to write is the start of something big!

Katie: Happy belated b-day, lady. And happy back to the US, been to London, and holy crap! writing mag release is inching closer every second! I miss you every second of every day.

Nikki: Happy almost wedding. I promise to be more organized from here on out ;). Happy race weekend, and happy maybe running in clouds not pouring rain? You are awesome.

Marissa: I was thinking about you last night and sending you love vibes. It was when I was thinking to myself, “Man, I have such successful friends.”

Corelyn: I miss your face. But I have big things planned for GMS. Does that abbreviation work, by the way? I don’t know if it does. Anyways, I am excited. Hug Meg and Mary for me. Twice.

SS: I saw pregnant in heels the other day. It made me want to be rich and pregnant and live in New York. You could be my fabulous (although not uber gay) best friend and we could stroll around bossing people around looking hot. Thoughts? I miss your face and wish, poor and not pregnant, we could hang out more.

Megan, where have you been all my life? Let’s hang out soon. Rebecca, I loved seeing you two nights in a row. Let’s rinse and repeat soon. Melissa, good luck today. Jen, hope you’re feeling so excited as you leave SO SOON for such an adventure! Caitlin, thanks for bringing brie to book club. You rock my socks. Suzanne, welcome to book club and I hope we don’t scare you. Liz, thanks for always understanding that I need you to go with me on my errands because I need a second opinion, always. Courtney, Memorial Day plans worked to our favor, yesssss. Barbra, Fanboy Comics has been stellar lately. You are working so hard, and I hope we can have a girls night soon to celebrate. Traci, Marc Broussard. You, me. So excited. Jessica, can’t wait to see your new place! Cricket, I think you should reconsider joining book club, because we seem to talk about you every book club anyways. I’ll even consider reading another Nora Roberts. C’mon…. Ana, I am excited that you’re not going away this weekend because I’m selfish. There, I said it.

Shower your people with love, guys! Happy Thursday!!

Gotta keep this beat alive…

[Alternative Title: Why I Love LA.]

Tonight I got home. I washed the dishes in the sink. I ate some leftovers with Corelyn, divvied up our CSA. Then we moved to the bathroom, put on some makeup, waited for Megan, and…walked to a Hanson concert. An outdoor Hanson concert, given the 75 degree weather tonight.

Hanson was the musical guest for Jimmy Kimmel Live. (Fun fact – they don’t always do the music “live” — they film it live and that guest is the guest another night. So the “inside” part is truly live, and the musical guest is not. Questions I have for them: do they keep track of the tie that Jimmy wears and make sure he wears it again the night that he films the inside stuff for the Hanson show? can I be the person who keeps track of that?)

Jimmy Kimmel Live happens to shoot one block from my apartment. So we walked up, where our friend P got us in (no lines, no waiting, no nothing!) and we just strolled to the waiting area for the show (parking lot by day.) Hanson eventually came on, but not before we made friends with some of the Jimmy Kimmel crew. They laughed as I spewed off facts about the Hanson brothers — one, Matt, even suggested I get a pick, a drumstick, and maybe hang out with them later. I, of course, planned on doing all of the above.

Then we were informed by P that Jimmy Kimmel would be standing on “that platform over there” so we meandered over. I, of course, pushed my way to the front of the velvet ropes around the small platform, so as to be in prime location for the moment that Jimmy introduced the boys. As the PA or whoever he was kept bringing people over to be front and center, I held my ground behind Jimmy. When the camera turned on, I was smiling and looked straight into the eyes of America (look out for me next week, I’ll let you know when!)

Then of course, Taylor, Isaac, and Zac came out. They played:

*Give a Little
*Waiting for This
*Thinkin’ Bout Somethin’
*And I Waited

There was dancing, and after the second song the pressure of keeping the cheers was off (this was, after all, just the part for the web) and we could let loose and dance!

Afterward, the guys came out to high five and shake hands, but Phil offered to take us backstage, where PA boy who tried to move me outta camera’s way asked us where we were going before realizing we were with P. “Don’t worry, we’re just wondering around, it’s fine,” I told him. We stood backstage, where Matt asked how the day was.

“Everything I wanted. More,” I stated. Matt smiled, and laughed, and walked off to do some cool job I didn’t even know existed. But then, a few minutes, Matt came back. With picks. From Hanson. “I didn’t have much luck with the drumstick,” he laughed as he walked away…

Needless to say, the rest of the night was mostly a blur, as I clutched my pick. I was worried it might fling out of my pocket. “Let me hold it,” Corelyn said. “NO!” I shouted, walking backwards away from her, two hands to my chest with the pick safe inside my fist.

P walked us out the Jimmy Kimmel Live set through the front door. Through the green room. No Hanson in sight, but we tried.

We walked home. I put my pick in my wallet. Next week, I’ll be on TV. No big deal. Just a Tuesday night in Hollywood…