clothing optional?

so my mom and i found an awesome little beach in malibu where the seascape is something out of europe. you seriously feel like you are somewhere abroad. when we went during the week it was pretty secluded, but on sunday there were more people. we attempted to go to Point Dume, which we nicknamed "7-dollar-beach" because you had to pay to get in, no refunds, no re-admittance. nothing special there, just a giant rock protruding from the coast. so we headed back to our favorite little beach. it's an ideal location, but there is one little issue... the beach is a magnet for weirdo guys and for some reason (i guess because the beach is secluded), these men think they can take off all their clothes. and it is NOT a nude beach. and even when the weirdo guys are wearing bathing suits... it's still just as bad. as we were about to leave there was a man climbing up the stairs in front of us, wearing an ill-fitting bathing suit (not quite a speedo, not quite short shorts) whose hairy ass was staring us in the face. especially when he bent down to fix his sandals. so we waited until he got to the top before we headed up the stairs.

weirdo naked guys aside, a lot of friendly, talkative people (especially foreigners) flock to this beach, but i doubt i will ever go alone.

mon-thurs: GRAND CANYON!!!! :) :) :)

what we've done so far.

wednesday: went to a taping of the ellen show. my mom and i were on tv!! :) and everyone in the audience received season three of Grey's Anatomy. (mine's for sale on ebay because i don't watch the show). we saw ellen pull out of the parking lot AS SOON AS the show let out. she waved, but didn't stop like jay leno did. my mom and i still can't believe they make allll that money and only work 1 hour a day. i think i'm in the wrong profession. : P

on our way home, my mom and i stopped at Trader Joes (my mom wasn't impressed) and then headed to Whole Foods (bigger, better selection). we made tilapia and during dinner we watched The Pledge.

thursday: beautifully warm beach day!! hung out in malibu all afternoon. took lots of beachy photos (to be uploaded on flickr). saw a photo shoot Rachel Hunter (Rod Stewart's ex-wife). chatted with the AD. left my name and number with the photographer for possible future PA jobs - nice lady, but i highly doubt she'll ever call me.

aldo stopped by and ate dinner with me, my mom and rick. we watched Wild Hogs which was pretty funny. comedies usually aren't my thing though (unless they're from 1989-1999, like What about Bob? or Black Sheep). i beat my mom in scrabble AGAIN, hehe.

friday: rainy, dreary day. went to radio shack (to buy a camera charger for hal since the one rick ordered online wasn't advertised accurately). then my mom and i went to two estate sales, a yard sale, a vege/fruit stand, a gardening center, the food store and the bank. (busy afternoon!!) my mom bought an artist's (Bill Anton) print of a Marlboro-looking man with a horse. and i bought an odd statue of dogs dancing and some other knick-knacky stuff.

saturday: worked a cosmetic promo. met a nice guy named Lyndon who gave me lots and lots of shampoo and conditioner samples (in such cute little bottles!!) my mom booked all of our arizona reservations, went for a hike and lounged by the pool. she was itching to go to the Viper Room, but i wasn't too keen on the idea. i'm more of a homebody. here's how the convo went:

me: you should be glad your daughter would rather stay home and make crafts instead of going to the Viper Room!!
mom: no, YOU should be glad your mother would rather go to the Viper Room instead of staying home and watching Doris Day!!

(yes, i had checked out Pillow Talk from the library).

and then she called me a "deadhead."

we were also contemplating going to a local country western bar, but we went to PetSmart, made Roxie a dog tag, my mom bought cosmopolitan mix, we ate dinner and watched A Simple Plan instead. we're going to the Viper Room next week. :)

what we did to roxie in PetSmart:



plans for tomorrow: heading back to malibu. or going kyaking and visiting rick's parents. and packing. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

my b-day weekend...

saturday: i picked up my mom from the airport. :) and it was pouring. :( first time it rained in CA in a LOOOONG time (CA certainly needed it) but by the time we reached the apartment, the sun was shining. when we got to the apartment, there was a bday package waiting for me from lindsay. miss gray met my [mom's] dog roxie and hates her. poor roxie just goes about her business and miss gray actually stalks, chases and attacks her. after rick got home, we went food shopping but for dinner we ate in a local restaurant that has thee biggest, most widest variety of a menu. and we all passed out early that night.

sunday: my mother gave me my present in the morning. :) she had my dad's Valley Forge class ring made into a bracelet. it came out really nice!! my dad would have been impressed. (and i bet he's happy i'm wearing it).

later, my mom, rick, aldrin and i got all dressed up (i wasn't aware as to why at this point) and ate sushi in hollywood. which was nice because i've been craving california rolls!! then rick surprised me with tickets to Wicked. we had never seen it (except for aldrin who has seen it three times now!!) and it was really good.

monday: (my actual b-day) my mom had decorated the apartment with balloons and banners and gave me flowers and a b-day card full of lottery scratch-offs. then we went for a hike/walk with roxie.

after lunch, we went to a taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. the guests were The Rock, Dennis Kucinich and Dinana Krall. we noticed former SNL cast member Victoria Jackson sitting a few rows diagonally behind us in the audience. we got to see Jay do the "Headlines" segment and *drumroll* afterward, we met him as he was leaving the studio and he signed an extra ticket we had and my mom took my photo with him. :)

on our way out of the studio, we were handed tickets to see Late Night with Carson Daly. (they needed more people to fill the audience). we accepted them, but remembered we don't even like Carson Daly... so we were no-shows.

when we got back to the apartment, rick gave me a star wars b-day card (yuck!!) and some pretty purple orchids. we watched Shooter and ate dinner. then we ate angel food cake with strawberries... Mmmmmm. all and all a very happy birthday!! :)

me wearing my new gnome pjs pants (part of a gift from my grandmother):

i feel so loved...
total # of birthday cards i received from my grandmother: 4!!
total # of happy birthday comments on my myspace: 6
total # of people who called to sing to me: 4 (plus mom and rick)
total # of "happy birthday" messages received on facebook: 24
thanks everyone!!!! :) :) :)

tomorrow: the new Foo Fighters cd comes out!! and my mom and i plan on lounging poolside and visiting a Chumash Native American museum. and wednesday, we're going to a taping of the Ellen show!! :)

being a PA is better than being from PA.

trust me, i lived in PA for 4 years. : P

tuesday: worked for my favorite boss dave. :) i was mainly there to inspire dave to work, but i made a few calls to ad agencies, looked through a really interesting (and inspiring) photojournalism book from 1978 and got lunch. it was a pleasant afternoon. dave is letting me borrow his lomo action sampler camera so expect some fun photos soon!!

wednesday: long, tiring, productive day. i assisted a product shoot for james. he rented a studio in hollywood and shot boating accessories (wake board racks, speakers and lights that attach to the "tower," if that's what it's called). the pieces were all round and chrome so it was nearly impossible to shoot with the amount of resources (mainly white cards and c-stands) we had with us. but we did it!! and the man and his wife who designed and patented these parts were really nice. they were an older couple with southern-ish accents who drove in from san diego. james is a really great guy to work for because you always learn something. i'm hoping to work for him more often (assisting small product shoots in his studio) after he returns from new york. and i might even be one of his apparel models for a test/webpage shoot.

thursday morning: was ready and waiting to buy foo fighters tickets to the special album release show at the henry fonda theatre on my birthday. both rick and i tried to get tickets. we both clicked the button AS SOON AS IT HIT 10:00 and -sold out- ...how the hell??!! :(

thursday afternoon: worked for dave again. i e-mailed ad agencies and dave tested out his flash on me (since he has to use it on a friend's wedding this weekend). dave's not a wedding photographer, but he looooves shooting weddings... NOT!!!! i helped him pack, we talked shop and i played with his pseudo-dogs (that really belong to his neighbor). i can't wait to assist dave's upcoming stock shoots. :)

"Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!" ~Auntie Mame

i like to watch old movies. recently (this week and last), i watched:

Inherit the Wind: good movie, great acting but i prefer the book... but i'm biased because it's one of my favorite books. i haven't read the book since 2003-2004 and i'm sure it states this fact, but i never pictured Henry Drummond to be that old. (Drummond is the attorney for Cates, the man on trial for teaching evolution in school). very few minor differences seperate the movie from the published screenplay.

Auntie Mame: long, but worth the watch. a tale of an eccentric woman/aunt and her nephew as told in classic 1950s style. (lots of upbeat instrumental jazz music between and during scenes; subtle innuendos; and awesome "modern" decor). the story was actually a play, once starring Lucille Ball.

most memorable quote:
"Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!" ~Auntie Mame

Rebel Without a Cause: first time i've ever seen a james dean movie and honestly, i was expecting more. his acting was great, but i imagined him having a deeper, manlier voice and being more handsome. (but i guess he had that sensitive guy thing going for him). after watching one of the first scenes, i turned to rick and said, "i think james franco makes a better james dean."

cool part:
a majority of the movie was filmed at the griffith observatory.

My Man Godfrey: a classic "screwball" comedy. the plot: rich folks get their kicks playing scavenger hunts. one of the itmes on the list: "a forgotten man." (aka: a bum). girl falls in love with bum she finds at the city dump, makes him her family's new butler. comedy ensues. evil sister hates him because he wouldn't be her forgotten man, but there's more to him than meets the eye. rick and i both enjoyed it up until the very ending. we didn't want him to end up with her... but the movie ends before anything is official... so maybe he didn't end up with her. (don't worry, i didn't ruin the movie, you can still watch it).

funny quote from the movie:
Angelica Bullock: You mustn't come between Irene and Godfrey. He's the first thing she's shown any affection for since her pomeranian died last summer.

busiest saturday ever.

9:30 am - 1:00 pm: assisted james during a product shoot.
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm: commute back to apt.
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm: ate and changed at apartment.
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm: commute to second gig.
3:00 pm - 10:45 pm: served/helped cater an outdoor wedding.
10:45 - 11:15 pm: commute back to apt.

assisting james was fun. he shot an assortment of day planners, greeting cards and gift sets designed for moms by a moms. i helped prep the set and the products. i've assisted a clothing line shoot before, but never a product-only shoot. the idea that most products aren't shot on a level surface never occurred to me. we actually stuck the products to a white seamless backdrop using a sticky putty. assisting a variety of photographers has helped me narrow down which photography fields i would like to pursue professionally. i'm working for james again on wednesday on location for a boating-product shoot. he's thinking we'll need extra C-stands which means... lots to haul and set up.

serving at the wedding was pretty hateful at first. the guy in charge was 45 minutes late because he had a lot of last-minute stuff to do. we were all scrambling around doing nothing because we didn't know how the guy wanted it to be done. there were 6 of us... quite some characters, almost stereotypical, as if from a movie:
1. the masculine woman of questionable sexuality (not that there's anything wrong with that).
2. the annoying chick/borderline know-it-all who is waaay too enthusiastic about the job.
3. the older (indian) guy who you wonder why or how he ever wound up doing this.
4. and 5. two girls (one tanned and of hispanic decent. the other, a redhead) who know each other and paired off.
6. and me. the judgemental girl. ;)

one of the chefs was french and i swear he said "hamBERGarr" over a million times. he also looked at my shoes (black vans with pink stripes) and said, "you're were those??? non, that iz not good. you need black shoes. those are not acceptable."
and i said, "are you kidding me?!!"

the wedding was semi-formal, meaning there were burgers, lemonade and port-o-potties, but nicely done and decorated to look classy. there were couches covered in brown seude-ish material, round paper lanterns, lots of candles and champagne dyed blue to match the color scheme. as the night progressed, i wasn't hating it and some moments were disguised as fun. perhaps the most memorable moment occurred while i was carrying a tray of (filled) champagne glasses and one of the guests was headed right for me. i made an "UH-UH-UH-UH" kind of noise and lightly swerved to avoid him. he noticed me and put out his hands as if he were going to dodge me, but he didn't move and just kept walking straight into me. spilt and broke all but two glasses. amazingly no champagne wound up on either of us. and he cleaned up all the broken glass.

so that was my night. i got paid more than i antipated. so perhaps this could become a semi-regular thing on the weekends. :)

aye, craigslist...

this is great. kudos to whoever posted the reply!!

============ Original post ==============

Photographer needed!
Reply to: gigs-421463409@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-09-13, 12:06PM PDT

We are a Burlesque show that needs a photographer every Monday night in Oct. There is no pay for now but you will get great shots to use in your portfolio. If interested email for the link to the show.

* Location: The Derby, Hollywood
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: no pay

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: gigs-421611315@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-09-13, 12:35PM PDT

How about this:
I'll come take pictures of your event, but I won't give them to you.
What you'll get is the look of having a photographer on site.
People will think you're a serious company with a budget.
That's not bad of a deal for what you're offering.

***don't ever work for free!!

the truth about cats

my new favorite quote:
"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea."
-Robert A. Heinlein

so my boyfriend and i always debate over the cleanliness of cats. the latest scenario: we have a blanket at the apartment that we used when we picked up the desk i bought on craigslist. the blanket really belongs to magoo, my boyfriend's dog. the blanket SMELLS like a dog so it has found a new home outside on our balcony until we return it to rick's parents' house. in the meantime though, miss gray is willing to call it her own. but before she could even make herself comfy, rick runs outside, shoos her off the blanket then throws a crappy tablecloth over the blanket. why??? good question. he thinks little miss gray (who is self-sufficient and self-cleaning) is dirtier than his smelly, yet likeable dog magoo. his reasoning: gray digs in a cat box containing her own feces. good point, but miss gray also washes her paws. and so the debate continues, often with amusing little conversations like these:

rick: she digs around in her own piss and shit!!
jena: but then she cleans herself...
rick: yeah, but with her tongue!!
jena: so, the cat's tongue is like a comb.
rick: well, then if you shit on a comb and comb your hair with it...
jena: no, no that's not the same thing.

so i found a discussion board that supports my theory that cats aren't hazardous to our health. the best part is that the pro-cat people make it seem like the anti-fecal people are crazy for thinking a cat is the least bit dirty. my favorite response was this:

"Yes you are most definitely being way too over protective and paranoid. I have 9 cats and my kids hardly ever got sick. I mean the cats would eat off of our plates while we were eating and they walk on the kitchen counters too. Sitting on our lap after using the litter box, well no problems there. This whole thing has been going on now for over 16 years. Maybe once or twice a year we will get a cold but that doesn't mean we got it from the cats. If you are that worried about it, then you need to find your cat a new home. It's beyond me why people always think it's the cats fault and why all of the sudden the cat becomes a dirty filthy animal."

in my best cat impersonation... MRRRRRRRAAAAWWRR!!!

my rebuttal to rick's germ argument is this: we NEED germs to stay healthy. :) bottom line: as long as you aren't licking your cat's paws, then you should be fine and need not worry about cat germs.

on the subject of animals, here's another good quote:
"She's a nonstop, super hyperactive, pardon the expression.. little piece of shit."
-my grandmother talking about my [mother's] dog.