Make Way For Ducklings

A reminder today that being a hero means paying attention to the small things in life. I always hate it when people say, "don't sweat the small stuff." Don't they know that it's the small stuff that really matters? And by the way, if you've never read the book, you really should.

A World of Chocolate & Strawberries

My world changed after I saw Meryl Streep portray Julia Child in Julie & Julia. Streep is brilliant, but it is Child's joie de vrie that pops off the screen and has captured my imagination. I walked into Borders immediately following the movie and bought Child's book, "My Life in France," and haven't been able to put it down since. It is an incredible and enduring love story. And the period of the 1950s seems to reflect the current political climate. Bravo! Here's a little something I found about her Knopf editor Judith Jones. And here's a little something about another incredible woman who will soon have her life portrayed up on the silver screen.

Fasten your chinstraps, we're in for a bumpy night

Los Angeles is on fire. At least 122,000 acres of it is up in flames. Having lived in Los Angeles this long, it isn't wilderness --- trees and shrubs -- that come to mind when I picture the city in my mind. I think of cement. Miles and miles of pavement. It wasn't until I started living on the fringes of Los Angeles -- the very tippy tip top of the county -- that I realized that there are a lot of open spaces and greenery around L.A. The mountain areas can't be tamed, and they prove that every fire season. The acrid air of the city is choked with smoke and ash. And it's hot. Damn hot.

I'm working the late shift today. I'm not really cut out for it. I don't know what to do with morning free-time, and I'm ready to go home mentally at my regular quitting time, but instead I'll be here for six more hours. Yikes! This morning, I spent my free time playing fetch with Roxy. She loves fetch. And there is nothing more entertaining than watching her. She runs, and falls and trips, and flies through the air with the greatest of ease. She slams on the breaks, and tips ass-over-teakettle in the most amazing summersaults you've ever seen. Her efforts are all in order to get that little spongy ball and bring it back to you as fast as possible. She struts like a coyote on the way back -- bringing you her 'kill.' She's very proud. Roxy has a little black line of fur that runs under her chin from ear-to-ear. The Handsomest Man Alive says it's the chin strap that keeps her ears on. It does look like it. It reminds me of the string on a birthday hat. Or a bathing cap. I looked all over the internet for a photo of a vintage bathing cap with a chin strap. There were but a few. I think that's because those of us who wore them made sure not to get caught in Kodak Moment. It's not a good look. I doubt even Heidi Klum could pull it off.

Back in the days of yore I had a date with a guy who I wanted to introduce to the game of hockey. While he was watching his first NHL game ever -- a fight broke out. It was a doozy. The guys dropped their gloves and pushed off their helmets in order to knock each other's blocks off. Woo hoo! I love hockey fights! He remarked that if he was a hockey player and a fight broke out -- he'd be tightening up his chin strap and making sure his gloves were securely fastened in order to prevent inury. I don't think there was a third date...

I've been vandalized!

Some time while I was sleeping last night, someone broke into my home. They snuck into my bathroom and unrolled all of the toilet paper on the roll onto the floor of the bathroom. And then it looks like they skipped and ran through it a few dozen times. When I woke up this morning, there was no toilet paper left for use. Only for decoration. Roxy says she didn't see a thing. Can you believe it? What kind of creature could've done this?

And my life was Hell before I had cankles

Here's the thing. I have cankles. They're not as bad as the ones pictured above, but I have to tell you, any cankle is a bad cankle. There's no grey area when it comes to cankles. I'm a lovely middle-aged chick -- as long as you keep your eyes above my calves. Things go downhill pretty fast after that. I've always had lovely slim ankles and bony feet with well-shaped nails that look good with a pedicure. Well, those days are over. One of the few signs of aging that has been plaguing me over the past year or so are swollen ankles. Arthritis? No. Crumpled and rumpled skin? No. But ask me about cankles...and I'll excuse myself to go somewhere else. Anywhere else. I'm not quite sure why I have them...or what being afflicted by cankles means as to my health and life expectancy. I'm going to assume it means my days are numbered. If you have cankles, you don't care how much longer you're going to live.

I do wonder if the media wasn't fascinated with that particular female body flaw right now, if I wouldn't be ashamed of my cankles. If they didn't have a name for it, would I even know that I had them? Would I care? Would I learn to love my cankles? Can't imagine it. As any Cinderella would tell you -- anything that might prevent you from donning a pair of glass slippers is a tragedy.

Stop The DVR!

Just when I thought I had planned out my television viewing for the rest of the year, I see a promo on TLC about a new show starring Trinny and Susannah. What? I've been doing a battle with a bout of super-duper-expialidocious insomnia and I saw the promo at approximately 2:00am while enjoying an episode of 18 and Counting. (Yes, that is the one about the lovely Duggar family from Arkansas -- the one with the mom who's got a clown car for a vagina. She's had eighteen kids. And counting. Don't watch it. Seriously!) The next morning I checked the schedule and there it was -- Making Over America with Trinny and Susannah.

Trinny and Susannah are my style gurus. Of course, if they saw what I wear to work everyday, they'd probably disown me. They can shave years off your age and pounds off your hips by showing you what clothes look best on your body and with your own personal style. I love them. I've written two fan letters in my life. One was to Trinny and Susannah and the other was to Joan Fontaine. Joan took time away from her busy golf schedule in Carmel, California to answer me. Trinny and Susannah did not. But that doesn't mean that I didn't set up a series pass for their new show. Check it out! These chicks rock.

Tonight's the Night

It's return of my beloved Tim Gunn. He's the fashion guru who gives advice to all the little fashionista-wannabees on Project Runway. Season Six returns tonight -- which is very exciting because it is in Los Angeles. So I'm kind of hoping to see all of the hopefuls at locations that I recognize around town.

Last night was the grand finale (insert fireworks display here) of Top Chef Masters. Rick Bayless walked away with the big prize. He beat-out the French chef Hubert Keller (and you know the French are the original foodies) to claim the top prize. He's also from Chicago -- so go Midwest! And he seems like an all-around good egg.

It was also the first episode of Top Chef: Las Vegas. It was a fun episode except you really can't tell the boys from the girls. (I sound just like my grandma Azalia.) They all have androgynous haircuts and their bodies are all tatt-ed up. It's nasty. A few of them can cook though, and it was fun picking out the best of the bunch from the first elimination challenge. I've already got my favorites. It was also fun because they were going to all kinds of locations that we recognized in Las Vegas. The Top Chef kitchens are in the new M Resort that we explored on our way out of town last time. It was pretty swank.

And Mad Men is back. Or should I say ARE back. I guess for me the focus isn't always on the men of Mad Men. While I find Don Draper to be very yummy, it's the storylines of the female characters that absolutely fascinate and intrigue me. It's just too too much fun to bear.

What do you think it says about me that all of my favorite shows are mid-summer place holders for the primetime television season that doesn't start until October? Ok. Maybe. But say, what you will...I think I've got great taste. And a full DVR...that's true happiness.