I'm stuck in the middle with you

It's Wednesday and I feel stuck in the middle of two weekends. I don't know whether to remember last weekend fondly, or whether it's time to start to pine for Friday night. While I'm mired in indecision...

• I'm following stories that originate in Ojai...and involve President Obama. Two of my favorite things.

• Los Angelenos seem to have no sense of history. The first problem is that L.A. is a twentieth century town -- so nothing ever seemed old enough to be "historical." The second problem is that Los Angeles isn't confined by space -- rather it's defined by it's sprawl. Out here, if we can't tear down and build new, we go down the block and build new. Every once in a while someone points out that some spots in L.A. have thrived despite the circumstances. Clifton's Cafeteria is one of those L.A. spots.

• Remember how hot Michael Phelps looked in his swim trunks? Now we know how unhot he looks doing bong hits. Should we be judgmental? Maybe. His is not the greatest crime committed, but he did receive $100 million to endorse products because he was a clean-cut American hero. Maybe we should start to hold people accountable for their actions, instead of rewarding them for their rehabilitation.

• Cool! Meet the Zamboni of the 2010 Winter Olympic games in Vancouver.

• Today's imagication is a trip in a bottle. Personally, I prefer bubble bath.

Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie

• Are men of a certain age, like the oh-so attractive George Clooney, you know, the kind of guys who eschew long-term relationships and marriage...Are they the new lovelorn spinsters of our generation? Oh sure! Convince me, you crazy Brits.

• Photographs from Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood edition feature Academy Award-winning actors and the puppeteers who pull their strings.
  

• Sarah Palin has a new and formidable foe in Ashley Judd. My mom and I have always referred to ourselves when we're participating in Keystone Kops antics as "The Judds." Ashley is the younger sister of Wynonna and daughter of Naomi. She's also married to a race car driver. I bet that she knows a thing or two about putting her boot into the behind of an opponent. I'm putting my money on her.
  

• I don't know if it's because I read Nancy Drew when I was younger and never got over it -- but there is nothing in the world I love more than a treasure hunt. Even more fun is one that is successful.
  

• Today's imagication gives you the option of several different chocolate vacations. Yes! Chocolate. Live dangerously! go on all of them in your imagination.

A snowy day in London town...

I've been looking everywhere for a print or photograph of my beloved London town to hang in my living room. When I saw this one, I thought to myself...finally! I haven't been in London in twenty years, but I still think of it as my kind of town. Britain is struggling under the effects of an unusually heavy snow storm, which is making travel difficult, but looks beautiful to those of us who live under sunny skies and palm trees.

• Yesterday's New York Times was a virtual cornucopia of intriguing Op-Ed articles about the current state of the economy. Start with Maureen Dowd and then move on to Frank Rich, and then wrap up with this little ditty about the state of the American shopping mall.

• Did you watch all the Super Bowl commercials?

• Meet the new Vice President's wife. She's pretty and smart -- quite a Cinderella.

• Today's imagication takes you on a tour of California wineries that make sparkling wines. Pack your bags and click here.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

What do you do when you’re sad? Take a trip to Happy Valley, of course. I’ve been running around like Chicken Little since 2009 began…unfortunately, the sky in my world truly is falling and I’ve been so incredibly stressed out and upset that I’ve felt like I deserved a medal for doing what every one else does without thinking -- getting up out of bed, participating in some (never enuf) personal hygiene and getting to the office on time and being alert and aware for eight hours. A little diversion was in order…and we found just the thing as we planned a spur-of-the-moment day trip up the coast to Happy Valley – also known as Ojai.

Ojai is a quaint little village nestled into a picturesque valley between Santa Clarita and Santa Barbara. The beauty of the area and rural setting has attracted an intriguing group of artists and horse people. The best-known tourist destination in Ojai is the very swank Ojai Valley Inn. It is gorgeous…beautiful, sprawling Spanish-style buildings on well-kept grounds. All of the rooms had balconies that overlook the golf course surrounding the hotel. It's dead quiet. You could hear a golf club pinging in the distance. There’s a beautiful fancy schmancy restaurant under some live oaks…and on the far end of the resort there’s a spa. You can get all kinds of mud, clay and herbal treatments there that are designed to work the kinks out of your back and the money out of your wallet. I felt calmer just walking through the spa with the scent of lavender and rosemary wafting through the air. The day was perfect for summer…for January it was unbelievable – in the 80s with a turquoise sky and not a cloud in sight.

After exploring the hotel, we went back to the main drag where we indulged in delicious salads at the Ojai Café – a tradition since 1922. Then we drifted down main street in and out of art galleries, wine bars, and T-shirt shops. At the end of the street we discovered the most magnificent thing Rains of Ojai – a locally-owned and family-operated department store. When I was little in Dearborn, Michigan we shopped at Muirhead’s. In Traverse City, Michigan we shopped at Milliken’s. I was so surprised to see a department store like that thriving – especially in the current economic environment. Turns out they have a website and you can shop online. I highly recommend you check it out – yes, online is cool but, in person would be better – in Ojai. It was just what the doctor ordered to chase the clouds away.

Intriguing article here about the woman who’ll really have the power after Obama is sworn-in on Tuesday. And it turns out that television executives have finally discovered what we’ve known all along – There is life after fifty. Yay!

Daily Hot Flash

I've been struggling with life lately...I'll tell you why when I get the courage. So I haven't been blogging. I know, I probably should've...but I'm not that brave. I was pushed into posting some links today because there were so many articles about stuff that interests me in cyberspace...and I thought maybe you might be into it too.

• I have two words for you...Steve. McQueen. Immortalized on film and in one my favorite songs by Sheryl Crow, he's the sexiest man who ever lived. And since I've been living in Santa Clarita, I have also fallen in love with the adorable little Santa Paula Airport. It's the opposite of LAX. Which for those of you who use it regularly know...is another word for Hell.

• When I interviewed to intern at Lightstorm Entertainment when I first moved to Los Angeles, I told them that my favorite film was "A Room With A View." What do you expect from a girl who loves books? I'm certain that's the reason the people behind films like "Terminator" and "The Abyss" asked me to read scripts for them. Since I'm unable to travel -- can't afford it and can't do it due to health problems -- I've been doing a lot of imaginary travel. I'm living vicariously through friends who are traveling and watching a lot of House Hunters International. There are three places I have always wanted to see in person...Italy, Hawaii and India.

• Ok, so even if I AM dying, my plans to have my ashes scattered near my girl Jane Austen have been foiled. Not to mention the fact that obviously, my idea was NOT original.

• I don't know who I love more...Maureen Dowd or Tina Fey. They're both in my top ten of favorite girl writers.

• I love it when the press refers to my plans to overeat over the holidays by the euphemism "eating issues." As if!