To Block or Not to Block...THAT is the Question

Peter wants to share his Perfect Bunches of Lilies with you!

Do you, Peter?? Do you really???

I know that I'm bringing it on myself, to certain degree (I can, after all, take responsibility for my own actions...sometimes,) but I am wavering on "unfriending" you on Facebook. You've taken it upon yourself to habitually invite me to every inane, online application, event and fan group possible. No, I don't care which new flower you've planted in Farmville, who's joined your gang in Mob Wars or which pseudo-celebrity has your panties in a bunch. Are you really that bored (and lazy) that you spend your time on the computer harvesting imaginary plots of land, recruiting fictional goodfellas or trying to get me to be VP of the national, Carrot Top fan club??

STOP SENDING THIS CRAP TO ME BEFORE I BLOCK YO ASS!!

I realize that Facebook has evolved into a juggernaut of an infinitely-scalable, social networking platform, but at some point enough is enough. Practice a little restraint, Peter! I know that you (and other Facebookers) legitimately have interesting events going on (and for that reason, I don't block invites outright) but I'm fairly sure that you, along with many of my other friends (and I use that term loosely as we are talking about Facebook, here) aren't so bubbling over with altruism that you just need, ABSOLUTELY NEED, to share your fantastic, daily adventures with me. What I suspect is that you (and your itchy, trigger-fingered, e-viting cohorts) really don't have much going on in "reality" (completely justifiable air quotes, btw) and try to make up the difference with a booked-up, virtual social calendar instead...I'm not fooled.

P-ART-Y in Santa Monica

I recently had the pleasure of co-hosting a fabulous art party in Santa Monica with my gorgeous, fashionista, LA It-Girl, Jen Egan. Local and non-local artists graciously loaned their pieces for exhibition and sale, but that was, believe it or not, not the highlight of the evening. Yes, indeed, it was the guests. As is normally the modis operandi for "art" themed parties, a host of eclectically hip party-patrons floated in and swirled about truly making it a light-hearted and festive evening.

The beautiful, private Santa Monica home (already sporting some great artwork) coupled with the fabulous friends of Jen and I were the perfect match of venue and visitors. Genres on display ranged from witty sketchings and mini-paintings by the talented Matt Orser (mattorser.com)

 

to Mattia Biagi's endearingly macabre, tar-dipped teddy

and Dana Louise Kirpatrick's beautifully schizophrenic homage to the tragically tortured DJ AM. The six and a half foot piece surprisingly equally dominated and assimilated with the other works.





















other party favorites of the night included Rameses' work which were both expertly rendered on aluminum

as well as the extremely talented, Alexandra Nechita, a true art prodigy who has been selling her exquisite tableaux since the ripe old age of 9.














Mix in great art, passionate artists on hand promoting themselves, regaling in the festivities and basking in adoration of the slightly inebriated guests and you have a marvelous vignette proving that Santa Monica can still put together a crisply cultured event with the best.

And That is Why You Fail...

I've left this below article unedited, and have freely given it the floor first before airing my response.

American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:

     We have stuck together since the late 1950's, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course.
     Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.



Here is a model separation agreement:


     Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.

     We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them.. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).

     We'll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's and rednecks. We'll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood ..

     You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us.. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide them security.

     We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values.. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N., but we will no longer be paying the bill.

     We'll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.

     You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We'll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute Imagine, I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.

     We'll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag.

     Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.



Sincerely,


John J. Wall

Law Student and an American


P.S. Also, please take Ted Turner, Sean Penn, Martin Sheehan, Barbara Streisand, &

Jane Fonda with you..


P. S. S. And we won't have to press 1 for English.

Mr Wall,


     While I think your little diatribe has been spun with a modicum of wit (and holds true to a conservative stance even in the face of apparent ridiculousness…I mean, who really wants the rednecks?) and a flair for comedy, it really is a sad statement of where we are as a people and a nation. The fact that there still exists individuals with intelligence (and I use that term loosely) who continue to equate healthcare with luxury or compassion of the financially less fortunate with triviality is equal parts frustrating, laughable and dangerous.
     Intellect fostered by education (which I would assume you would undergo in Law School...but on second thought, maybe not) should push back against the subjectivity of our station of birth and help us see beyond ourselves into the vista of objectivity and result in a healthier world-view. Instead, your letter reeks of narrow-mindedness, self-interest and hate (disguised as tongue-in-cheek humor.)
     When you practice intolerance and wear your condescension like a badge, you debase yourself and all who come before and follow you. Have we really rebounded back in time to the ideologies of the cold war and the tenants of imperialism? The very reason we aren't like Iraq, Afghanistan or any other "enemy" nation to which you allude is that we have a dichotomy of thought and perspective in this country. The conservatives keep the economy running and the liberals keep our society from falling completely into the hands of immoral tyrants. It's worked so far. Hopefully, we'll be able to meet somewhere in the middle down the line where we aren't synchronously reliant on welfare and intent on forcing others on to it. 
     We can have a win-win economy and a win-win society, if we but simply admit the possibility of its existence. Why not focus the laser of your mind on a slightly loftier goal and worry more about how we can improve the state of affairs for all versus concerning yourself with the seat of blame?

Sincerely,
Browe W. Merriweather
Human

P.S. I also find it funny that the liberals, Obama supporters or to whomever else you allude in your letter were the very people that largely bailed out your precious wall street jackals and fatcat CEO's (wow, welfare's not that bad when you're on the receiving end, huh?)


P.P.S Yeah, that's how you write post-postscript, you donkey. Not P.S.S. Try reading books instead of burning them.

Who Knew There'd Ever Be a Ninety Dollar Choo Shoe???

I went to the Jimmy Choo and H and M launch party on Monday at a beautiful mini-mansion up in the Hills (3 bedrooms with an $18M price tag.) The patio where most of the party tookplace was pleasantly decked out (no pun intended) with cozy couches and glassed-in candles perched atop little blocks of wood (rustic chic?) The home had an amazing view of the city, and I was definitely filled with an elevated feel looking out over the fog (or more likely, smog) layered vista.

As an event, in general, I was impressed. I don't think I was every ever out of eye shot of the bustling wait staff carting around glasses of champagne and tiny plates of hors d'oeuvres. The "stars" of the evening were both featured aboard a makeshift platform planted in the middle of the pool. On first was a static 'live" vignette of the new Jimmy line. I must say, I was a little dubious about the "disposable fashion" tie-in from H and M...in this economy it seems like a smart move as long as the brand isn't diluted. The party itself was well organized and had a bevy of Hollywood's usual suspects queue Paris Hilton, The City's Whitney, and Cat Deely. I was surprised to see Anthony Kiedis from The Red Hot Chili Peppers (and also surprised at just how pint-sized the alterna-rocker really is...still love the group though.) I'm sure there were a host of non-celebrity celebrities, but where's the fun in talking about them? However, I did meet a witty LA Times writer who enlightened me to a most curious ailment, Opposition Defiance Disorder (ODD.) He cleverly distilled the "condition" to a short quip: "When I was a kid, and I would point at a telephone pole and ask my mom, 'Is that a tree or a telephone pole?' She would, of course, respond, 'That's a telephone pole.' To which, I would say, 'Well, I think it's a tree,' in a tone equivalent to sticking out my tongue." Funny, I never knew I was suffering from ODD.

Eat Pray Love It

I don't normally write book reviews (and I'm not going to start here) but I am compelled to say (which is a quite unsettling, yet pleasant, feeling) that this book has really opened me up to some issues about myself which needed to be addressed. I often let myself drift and become entangled amongst many pervasive and destructive thoughts throughout the day which I have been allowing to take the place of the more necessary, positive ones. Perhaps it's the result of too much reality TV, LA traffic or a trivial job, but many of my recent days have been spent grumbling over issues that deserve as much attention as Bernie Madoff's daily, dessert selection. Controlling one's own thoughts is not a new idea, but I can't help but feel like I have gained a new understanding of its importance and necessity in my life.

Sometimes Beating a Dead Horse Just Makes Your Arm Tired

Current President, Barack Obama, has received the Nobel Peace prize under a hail of political gunfire (though he's probably getting used to it by now.) I had no idea that the MSN, FoxNews, Facebook, and Twitter communities were so sensitive to the Nobel Prize committee's annual choice. Can any of the multitude of bitchy bloggers name a past winner from this decade...probably not...can they even correctly pronounce the names of any recent winners...probably not (Jimmy Carter doesn't count.) But aside from the nation's general ignorance and its equally effluent love of gossiping, I'm really at a loss in understanding the uproar of protest at Obama being given the prize. To the countless Obama detractors, I'd say, "It's not something that he lobbied for; he was chosen. Does he deserve it? Who knows...chances are, more than you."

Why can't we focus on some of the real issues, like supporting and discussing the initiatives that he is trying to enact to improve our country? Why can't we at least be proud of our nation's president for receiving such a prestigious honor? Why do we delight so much in denegrating instead of congratulating? Let's just lend support to our president now that we actually have one that doesn't seem to revel in blatantly disregarding America's common good. Let's take a step back to move forward. Maybe there IS change on the horizon...perhaps it's only obscured by the smoking keyboards of this country's cynics and nay-sayers.

How Do I Loathe Thee, Let Me Count the Ways

I find it absurdly ironic that I, at once, detest most of the writing I have been seeing as of late from others, but absolutely love, love, love to read. Let me qualify this: I've been reading a number of blogs, witticisms and posts, and find the majority of them vapid; only feigning at truly being clever. With biting one-liners and provocative allusury, these ever-increasing writers (and I wholly recognize my inclusion amongst them) comment on everything from Parisian fashion to Paris Hilton. Fashion writers, travel bloggers, relationship experts, sports fanatics...The litany of nouveau authors is seemingly endless, and with the advent or evolution (or really, de-evolution) of modern writing and texting vocabulary, everyone thinks they have a voice worth hearing...and therein lies the caveate...WORTH...HEARING. I know that writing is re-writing and this vocation is a craft, but I sincerely hope that either the standard of writing or those who chose to write get a kick in the (talent) pants sometime soon...p.s. I'm not holding my breath.

My Very First Follower

I'm not entirely sure if I ever really intended on releasing this blog "into the wild" as it were, but I've officially secured (tongue planted firmly in cheek) my 1st "follower" - I feel the power...not exactly Koresh status yet. I just hope it doesn't go to my head (tongue still there) - and I thought that it deserved a moment of silence...ironically, it seems to be accompanied by more of the clickity-clak of my keyboard than anything. But I digress...I thank you much, Noah Berlow, for sharing in this molehill of a mountain or milestone of minutiae...or whatever. You are a great friend and I appreciate your support...told you it involved zero commitment.

Dogma

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." Dalai Lama

I feel like this is the simplest and truest of all religious ideology I've heard. God forbid I post it on my Facebook page as I would be surely inundated with emails and comments from the religious right and Bible-bashers. I never quite understood why what should be the most allowing, accepting and all-encompassing of our moral philosophies (i.e our religion) usually inspires the greatest intolerance, ignorance and hatred of and by our fellow man.

I'm Beginning to Hate Facebook

I really am...with a passion. Unfortunately, I'm addicted to it, and I guess like all addictions, the very same thing that you love soon becomes an idol of loathing. What started out as a simple way to keep in contact with all of my friends has been bastardized into the very activity that I seek to avoid in everyday life. Mainly, a sense of responsibility to remain in contact with people whom I don't wish to know, and an unhealthy preoccupation with the affairs of others. This age of electronic addiction, and constant "connectedness" in a disconnected culture is at once comfortable and completely unsettling. As I spend an inordinate amount of time on Facebook, texting or emailing, I am deeply saddened that instead of feeling more and more a part of the real world, I feel surprisingly more and more removed from it. I also, consequently, find it vaguely ironic that I am even spending the time writing this blog. Nobody reads these things anyway. Except you...loser. :p

Woman Fights Back Against Bank of America

http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/smartspending/archive/2009/09/15/woman-revolts-won-t-pay-credit-card-bill.aspx?CommentPosted=true%23commentmessage

In reference to an article about a lady who refuses to pay her Bank of America bill because she suddenly had a 30% rate hike despite never being late or missing a payment.

Awesome. These banks are the criminals. They've been feeding off of us for decades like a parasite giving the average Joe the illusion of attaining "middle class" standing through credit. Recently, they've just become greedy. I think it's the power and the right of the people to stand up to tyranny. We still have a voice. These banks WILL take EVERYTHING if we let them. To the people who say, "Just shut up and pay your bill," I'll still have sympathy for you when you lose your job, get burned by rate hikes, your dog gets hit by a car or you are just facing especially tough times and feeling overwhelmed in this slowly crumbling economic market. Know who the real enemy is...seriously. It's certainly not the average consumer or American!