Did you know there's a "secret" trail leading up to the famous Hollywood sign?
Shhhh!! Don't tell anyone!
I went hiking on it last Thursday.
© Twenty Four At Heart
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Hollywood!
I grew up just north of Los Angeles, not far from Hollywood.
I rarely did tourist-y things, because when you live somewhere you avoid the tourists.
I've been in Hollywood for things I've needed to do over the years, but I hadn't made a trip to the tourist-y spots of Hollywood in years.
Yesterday, that changed.
Aren't I looking just spectacular with my windblown hair? We've had warm weather lately, but the heat has been accompanied by Santa Ana winds. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Santa Anas, they often reach hurricane force – particularly in our canyons and foothills.)
Almost as soon as I arrived, I ran into a camera man who was filming in a local mall. He was losing his patience with the people he was filming. I couldn't resist taking his photo. All the tourists were looking at what he was filming, and I was looking at him.
I don't know what it is about The Camera Man Photo, but I love it.
Here's another very "Hollywood" photo of The Walk of Fame:
It seemed like everywhere I turned, there were people trying to make a buck. A lot of times, they were just street people. Of course, there are a lot of gift and souvenir shops too.
I've got more to share with you about my adventures in Hollywood in upcoming days. It was a loooooooong day (primarily because of the amount of driving time it took to get up there and back).
I took a lot of photos too, which makes for a very painful bionic arm.
I'll leave you with one more glimpse of my day before I close.
After all, today's post wouldn't be complete without Marilyn, would it?
© Twenty Four At Heart
Leaving The Bubble
I'm not here today.
I've decided to leave "the bubble" for the day.
And yes, a lot of us do refer to Orange County as "the bubble." (A bubble of unreality.)
I'm leaving this:
And this:
And this:
To do a lot of sitting in this:
Ugh!
Yes, I'm spending the day in Los Angeles on a photography outing.
The thing is ….
When outings like this are planned, they often end up being very different experiences than what was initially expected. I'll have details of what really happens tomorrow. (You can also follow updates from me on Twitter today.)
In the meantime, let's hope I don't end up in four hours of traffic on my way home at the end of the day. There aren't many things I hate more than L.A. traffic.
© Twenty Four At Heart
Blonde Moments
Do you ever have a month day when you feel really stupid?
As if, perhaps, your IQ is dropping ten points at a time every half hour?
No?
Yesterday morning my iPhone arrived.
To know how excited I was, you'd have to understand how much I've come to hate my Blackberry. I would have hugged the UPS man, but it wasn't my normal UPS man. Instead, it was an unknown UPS man who might have been alarmed if I went flying into his arms when I opened the door. (My regular UPS man is used to all sorts of unpredictable behavior on my part and wouldn't have blinked.)
After he left, I tore into the box, eager to play with my new toy.
The directions informed me all I needed to do was sync the phone to my iTunes library and the phone would be activated.
Go me!
The phone synced (apps loaded, etc.), but the phone itself did not activate.
Hmmmm.
I called Verizon for help.
A NICE man was instantly on the phone helping me.
I explained the problem to him.
"Hmmmm," he said.
"Exactly!" I replied.
It didn't take long for him to look up my account and say, "Ma'am? You don't happen to be calling me from your Blackberry right now?"
"Yes, I am," I answered, amazed at how intuitive he was. (I even forgave him for calling me ma'am – which I hate – because he was SO smart!)
"Well, ma'am you'll have to turn that phone OFF in order for your new phone to activate on that same phone number."
OH!
:: Light bulb! ::
I've got to give him credit for not laughing at me, at least not while I was still on the line with him.
Ahem.
An hour later, I was in a waiting room biding my time until my annual mammogram.
"What a great opportunity to play with my new phone and learn all its tricks," I thought.
I clicked on one app, figured out how it worked, and then moved on to try another.
I got bored quickly and decided to play Angry Birds for awhile until it was my turn to go back for the test.
I've played Angry Birds many times on our iPad.
No big deal, right?
Except the next thing I knew Angry Bird music was BLARING in the (previously) perfectly quiet waiting room. I didn't know how to silence it. I didn't know how to turn the phone off.
I basically don't know how my own phone works at all.
And oh yes, you can laugh all you want. Because you know what I did? I sat on my phone to try and muffle the Angry Bird music. Yes, I did. Sitting on my brand new iPhone only accomplished one thing …
It made it sound like my ass was singing.
I don't even have words to describe the looks I was getting from the other women in the waiting room. The expression on the face of the nurse who came to call me back for the test was priceless. As I rose to walk back with her, an iPhone appeared out of my ass with increasingly loud music.
I was so embarrassed.
I kept pushing and touching things on it and eventually it got quiet. I'm not sure HOW I silenced it, but I did.
Really, you ought to just come walk around with me for a day.
I'm full of unexpected laughs and you'll never be bored.
© Twenty Four At Heart
Tea Time
I'm wavering off my normal blogging path today to discuss tea.
Ages ago, when I had only one reader, I wrote a post about tea.
To be honest, I barely remember it myself.
I drink coffee every morning, but I like tea too. The weather is so warm here, a lot of time tea means a glass of iced tea for lunch. I'll often make a cup of hot tea when I'm writing or editing photos.
Tea has a lot of health benefits. I think a lot of us know that, but how many of us really drink it (especially here in the United States)?
I've always been a tea drinker, but I increased my tea consumption a lot after being diagnosed with melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) several years back. Tea, green tea in particular, is an "anti-cancer" beverage. It has been over six years now, with no cancer recurrence. I'm not sure if that can be completely attributed to my tea drinking or not, but I think the health benefits of tea are real.
I'm sure I don't drink as much tea as I'm "supposed to," but I know I drink more than most of my friends and family members. My son, PR, loves tea too and drinks a cup most nights as he works on homework.
In recent months, I've been drinking less tea than normal. Over the last two weeks, I got my butt kicked by The Plague. On Friday, I went down to my favorite tea shop and said, "Help! Make me well!"
They fixed me a large cup of tea which was a blend of four different teas.
The four teas were:
• Silver Yin Zhen Pearls which is a white tea. It's supposed to detoxify your body and provide antioxidants. I needed to be detoxified, did I mention I've had The Plague?
• Gyokuro Imperial which is a green tea. Green teas are rich in antioxidants, may prevent some cancers, and help boost the immune system. My immune system was in need of some serious boosting.
• Peppermint which helps with many ailments including sore throats, headaches, and pain. I'm not a big fan of peppermint flavored things, but it's very healing. (Also, I think most people like the flavor of peppermint – I'm just weird!)
• Honeybush Vanilla which is an herbal tea (blend) rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
Three of the teas listed above steep together for 5 minutes. The Gyokuro Imperial is added in for just the last 45 seconds of steeping time.
I'm not kidding, I started feeling better that afternoon. My sore throat decreased in severity, my coughing lessened … I just felt better.
Coincidence?
Probably.
And yet, it re-motivated me to increase my tea consumption.
Did you know Rooibos tea can help with allergies and colds?
Or that Oolong tea boosts your metabolism, causes you to process carbohydrates faster, and may help with weight loss? (By the way, Jasmine Oolong is one of my all-time favorite teas.)
Different teas have different health benefits. I find the science behind tea fascinating.
I'm fortunate to have an amazing tea shop close by.
The shop is also very expensive. But? I haven't found better tea, or a better selection of tea, anywhere. When I buy tea, I store it in air-tight tins. The tea stays fresh for a year if it's stored this way. If you leave your tea sitting out, it won't stay fresh.
My husband cringes when he sees the receipts from the tea shop. (He doesn't drink tea, ever, so the only thing my tea habit represents to him is less money.)
The positive?
A tin of tea lasts so long, I don't need to buy it very often. I suppose, when you look at it THAT way, it isn't as expensive as it first appears. I usually only stock up on teas once a year.
I ended up making a second trip back to the tea shop yesterday. I decided to purchase the four "get well" teas they steeped together for me last Friday. I want to have them here for myself, and my family, in the future. Three of them are great preventative medicine. I intend to drink them on a regular basis – either individually or steeped together.
This isn't a sponsored post, but I know inquiring minds will want to know. I buy my tea at a local Teavana store. I sometimes use a teapot, but I most often steep my tea in their Perfect TeaMaker which I love. (It's also a great conversation starter – everyone who sees how it works falls in love with it.)
I also use Teavana tins for storing my tea because I don't want to spend the money to buy high quality tea and have it lose its health benefits before I steep it. (I buy the cheap Teavana tins vs. the more expensive decorative ones.) When I run out of tea, I take my tins into the store to have them refilled. This saves me from having to buy more tins for storage.
I look at my tea purchases as an investment in health. Drinking tea is an investment in me.
And now, I'm curious.
Are you a tea drinker?
And if so, what's your favorite tea?
© Twenty Four At Heart
Dancing In The Moonlight
I've recently realized I have almost no photos of my life growing up. I'm sure a few photos must have been taken … but where are they now?
It's as if I didn't exist until I reached my twenties. And then, of course, once I hit 24 I became camera shy.
My son's girlfriend invited him to her high school's Winter Formal last weekend. They had a great time. I was honored to be selected as their photographer for the event. (And yes, I did rouse myself out of my sick bed to perform photographer duties.)
Have I mentioned I love photography?
I don't share photos of my kids here, but I think the following photos all protect my son's privacy. (You know, so he can post all the ones showing his face on Facebook instead of me posting them on Twenty Four At Heart.) If you were following me on Twitter last weekend, you may have already seen some of these.
My son, of course, is the one who opted to wear sneakers with his tux. He can't help himself, he inherited the casual gene from me.
Waiting for their friends to arrive for a photo session.
The flowers:
The wrist corsage, and my son's boutineer, were made by the same florist so they matched perfectly. Very pretty!
I wish I had photos from the dances I went to as a teen.
At least I know my son will have these to look back on.
© Twenty Four At Heart
From The Car Window
I took this photo at the end of the day yesterday from my car window.
Don't chide me – Briefcase was driving.
Not bad for a quick snapshot from the car!
** I've already had requests from people wishing to buy this photo. It has been uploaded to the album "2011" on my photo site. **
© Twenty Four At Heart
From The Deck
The upstairs deck off the back of our house provides unbelievable views of our canyon.
My dogs can stay up there for hours watching for wildlife.
[Wildlife equals: birds (including hawks, quail, vultures, ducks and owls), rabbits, deer, bobcats, coyotes, snakes, squirrels and an occasional mountain lion.]
I can too!
© Twenty Four At Heart
Take Two
[This just became the most boring post of all time, but it didn't start off that way - I promise!]
I just wrote an entire post, hit "save" and my software program ATE it!
I suppose I should start over and save it repeatedly after every word I type.
This …
Is …
Taking …
A …
Long …
Time…!
Oh, never mind -
To be honest, I'm too tired to start all over again. I'm still sick – the sickest I've ever been as an adult. I rattle when I breathe. I sleep about 20 hours per day. I wake up to get PR off to school and home again. That's about it.
I owe a lot of you emails, etc. and I'm sorry. I'm struggling through this sickness as best as I can. Briefcase is still out of town which is, I suppose, a blessing and a curse at the same time.
My big excitement was watching the Season 4 finale of Dexter a day ago. (Eeeeeek!)
Oh, and I ordered a Verizon iPhone too.
I'm very excited to finally be replacing my Blackberry Storm which I … don't love.
Which brings me to this …
If you've got a smartphone, what are your favorite apps?
What do you find yourself using the most often?
I'm also curious as to whether you use Google Calendar, iCal or some other type of calendar?
© Twenty Four At Heart
Deja Vu?
A few months ago, I rose early one morning. I cleaned my lenses, packed my camera and drove to one of my favorite, secret, secluded beaches.
The beach was deserted.
It was a beautiful, spectacular, morning.
I was thrilled to have the beach to myself, but not surprised. It was early in the day still, and it was off-season.
I took a leisurely walk down the beach, snapping photos as I went.
After quite awhile, I turned around and walked back in the direction I came from.
And that's when I first saw him.
From a distance he was no more than a mere speck of red, sitting on some rocks out on the point.
"Annoying," I thought.
How dare he show up and ruin my solitude.
I walked toward him, because my final destination was the cove on the other side of the point.
As I approached, I knew he was as aware of my presence as I was of his – and yet, he ignored me.
He sat there, taking in the beauty of the morning, with a cup of coffee in his hand.
I crossed the path behind him on my way to the cove.
"Beautiful morning," I said because I felt I had to say something.
"It really is," he agreed, still not looking in my direction.
And then, when I had taken one step past him, he asked, "Where are you going?"
I turned to face him.
At the same moment, he stood.
Our eyes met.
I've thought about that moment over and over again.
What happened next made no sense.
Recognition.
Surprise.
I felt startled … stunned, actually.
He had a similar reaction.
He actually took a step backward, as if in shock.
"It's you!" my brain seemed to scream, but instead I just stared at him wide-eyed.
And then, we were talking … making inane small talk.
I'm going to the cove.
You're a photographer?
I write about, and photograph, The OC.
Do you live here?
Yes, right there … (with a wave of his hand towards the homes on the sand).
It wasn't physical attraction.
It wasn't romantic.
It wasn't sexual.
It was unexplainable recognition of a total stranger, and it was so strong it was almost frightening. There was no question we were both experiencing the same sense of overwhelming familiarity.
"I know him, but I've never met him. This doesn't make sense," I thought.
But at the same time, for some reason – it did.
After a few minutes, I went on my way.
I felt shaken and disconcerted by the encounter.
I hiked to the cove.
I began shooting photo after photo. Rocks, tide pools, waves, the bluffs … click, click, click went the shutter. With each photo I wandered a little further down the beach.
About twenty minutes went by.
I knew, before I looked up.
I could feel him watching me.
I turned back, towards the point … now fairly far away from where I was.
He stood there at the tip of the rocks.
Facing me.
Riveted.
He was wondering who I was, just like I was wondering who he was.
We stood there, staring across the distance, for a few minutes.
I turned away first. Raising my camera to my eye, I began shooting again.
In time, I made my way back up to the point. It was time to head home.
He was gone.
My eyes searched the houses … one of which, is his home.
"Who are you?" I whispered.
All these months later …
I still find myself wondering.
© Twenty Four At Heart