Donna in Hollywoodland

The blog from Los Angeles and Hollywood by Donna Grayson

Sunday, May 24, 2009


When you are going through Hell

Thought for the day from a Bottle of Honest Tea .

"When you are going through Hell - keep going".
A quote from Winston Churchill

Here's an interesting blog post from Dave Shearon's Blog on the quote - and the song by Rodney Adkins and his song by the same title If You're Going Through Hell.

This is great advice for anyone who is going through Hell.
Just keep going.
Because if you stop and stand still, you just might get burnt to a crisp.
So keep moving until you come out on the other side.

Winston Churchill on Wikipedia
and
Hell on Wikipedia

Winston Churchill on Amazon.com
and
Hell on Amazon.com


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Saturday, November 24, 2007


Stuffing Cooking Tips


Whole Foods Market carries some wonderful organic stuffing, made by Conifer Inc.
Its Canterbury Organics Rosemary Sage Dressing Mix is delicious. It also comes in a Cornbread version.
I made mine with organic dried apricots, and organic dried cherries, along with celery and onions.

One trick to making a stove-top or baked stuffing recipe, that you don't plan to put inside a turkey - is to saute the onions and celery in either olive oil, or butter, before adding them to the stuffing mix. Also, beat an egg or two into the vegetable broth or stock, before you mix it into the bread crumbs.

There, thats my little holiday cooking tip for you ...

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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Breakfast Time

A fun yummy photo of breakfast !


eggs benedict card

eggs benedict photo on a greeting card



eggs benedict mousepad


eggs benedict photograph on a mousepad

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Sunday, July 08, 2007

Sadie Thompson Eyptian

Volunteering again at the Egyptian Theatre.
This time the movie was "Miss Sadie Thompson" from 1953, starring Rita Hayworth .

And I stopped off for a roasted chicken dinner at Mel's Diner on the way home.

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Saturday, July 07, 2007

Tiki Party

I was over at the Egyptian theatre , volunteering for the annual Tiki Party and Luau Dinner.
It was alot of fun. I put wrist bands on people after they bought their tickets.

We had a wonderful Teriyaki chicken dinner, with pineapple upside down cake for dessert.
People were all in their Tiki outfits.
It was a great time !

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Thursday, July 05, 2007

Farmers Market on Fairfax

The Fairax Farmers Market is having Thursday night Jazz in the west courtyard.
I met some friends over there. It was very nice, because there were plenty of tables set-up.
You can eat dinner from the food vendors while you listen to the jazz music.
I got some korean chicken bbq with rice and veggies.
And we sat and listened to the jazz music.

Then we walked around the Farmers Market for a bit.
I stopped off at one of the bakeries.
Anything with coconut, oh I love it !
I picked up some delicious macaroons.
They tasted like each individual macaroon had a stick of butter.
That was some buttery flavor mixed in with the coconut.
But oh, they were so delicious !

And I also picked up some cherries - they were huge !
The size of apricots, I kid you not... one cherry was three bites.
And they were so sweet and perfect.

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Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Happy Fourth of July !

I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day !

I started out my day meeting some friends in Westwood for a movie.
At first my plan was to take Sunset straight west, but as I was heading that way I realized that everyone else would be heading to the beach.
So I did the one thing I hate to do - I jumped on the freeway. It was the Hollywood freeway going through downtown LA with that horrible freeway interchange that connects over .
Its the 101 to the 110 to the 10 to the 405 .... yikes ! pretty scary !
The last time I drove that was over a year ago.
I was so happy when I made it to Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and normal surface streets again.

Sicko Movie
We saw the movie Sicko by Michael Moore .
Actually, by choosing a documentary that was not a children's movie - we ended up with no holiday crowd to deal with. And since it was a matinee, everyone was at the beach it seemed.

I have to admit I am not a political person, most of it just doesn't interest me. And I really don't like most documentaries.
So I have not seen a single one of the other Michael Moore movies.
But since I had surgery for breast cancer in 2005, and even though I have a PPO insurance plan, I got hit with a huge bill at the end of my hospital stay and radiation treatments.
So I really wanted to see this movie.
Universal Health insurance is the hot topic right now. And I think it is something everyone should be studying and thinking about, so we can make a wise decision if it ever comes to a vote.


After the movie was over, we all headed over to Pastagetti .
A casual restaurant on Westwood Blvd, with very yummy food. I had a chicken and pesto pizza. One friend had a spinach salad with strawberries in it - I kept saying "That looks so good, I have to come back and try that. I really have to try that."

My friends all decided to take a walk around Westwood Memorial Cemetery .
It was a nice warm day and they were interested in seeing some of the Celebrity gravestones.

But I had to spend the evening with Cinnamon the Cat so the fireworks didn't scare her. So I headed home.
And I am glad I did. The fireworks in Hollywood were very loud this year. Lots of illegal fireworks going off on my street.
At one point, someone was setting off fireworks in between the apartment buildings, and I had to slam my window shut. After they heard me slam it, they stopped. I don't know what they were thinking - that no one was home to disturbed by loud explosions outside there window.
Cinnamon and I sat on the couch with the laptop. And when there would be a big explosion, she would look up at me.
I'd say "Its okay sweetie". And then she'd just go back to sleep.


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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Hot Day in Toluca Lake

It is so hot in Los Angeles, there is such a big heat wave going on !
And I was in Toluca Lake today and sweltering.

First, I volunteered at The Falcon Theatre , for the Children's performance Matinee of
The Ohmies .
It was a fun children's performance about yoga.
Lots of Butterflies and other fun characters.

Then it was over to Paty's restaurant, for a Turkey Burger and Green Salad.
Lots of Iced Tea - I sat outside on the patio in the heat.
Reading my latest copy of Prevention Magazine.
I like the sign at Paty's that says they don't cook in anything with Tras Fat.

After that, I really needed to do Grocery Shopping.
And it was to hot to drive from Toluca Lake all the way to the Whole Foods on Beverly Blvd in Hollywood.
So I called Directory Assistance, and found the Whole Foods Market
on Riverside Drive - and I went to that Whole Foods instead.
Before I drove home to Hollywood in the sweltering heat.

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Saturday, June 30, 2007

Breakfast and Books

In the six years I have lived in Hollywood, I have never been to the IHOP on Sunset Blvd.
So after dropping off some books at the Library on Sunset and La Brea, I decided to give it a try.

Frankly, that part of town is not one of the best areas. And there is a bus stop right in front of IHOP so I always see strange people there.
But the IHOP itself is really nice.
There is plenty of free parking in the back. And inside the restaurant it is very nice.
They gave me that big pitcher of Coffee - so I drank to much caffeine. Fresh Orange Juice ...
And I got the Mushroom and Spinach Omelet - which had real fresh spinach and real fresh mushrooms.
Very tasty.

And I remembered to bring my vitamins with me. So I took those with my breakfast :)

NameI am reading the book "It Works for Me: Celebrity Stories of Alternative Healing" by Heide Banks.
Its a very interesting book, with true stories of what alternative treatments celebs use for their health.
I think it gives a good overview of different alternative practices, for a variety of different health problems.

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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Big Party


Friday will be my boss's last day. And the Payroll department, and the Tax Department are all leaving as well.
Friday will be the last day for about 6 people. They all got laid off.
Eventually we will all be laid off.
All of the jobs are going to another state.

We all chipped in and bought my boss a Digital Picture Frame . Then someone brought in their camera and took pictures of all the employees which were uploaded into the memory chip.
It really made a nice Going Away Gift.

Then this evening the company treated us to a party.
There were trays and trays of appetizers.
Stuffed potatoes, little quiches, some kind of little fried roll thing.

I'm usually a pretty picky eater - there are certain things I won't touch.
Tonight I just ate whatever.
Its the first time in two years that I have eaten Bacon. It was in the stuffed potatoes.


Mango Mojito
And from the downstairs bar, I ordered a Mango Mojito .
It was so delicious. Yummy mangos... and mint... and 10 Cane Rum .
First time in two years that I have had hard alcohol.


Later when I was in the upstairs bar, they didn't have any mangos.
So I got a regular Mojito, but it wasn't the same, and I couldn't finish it.
I had to go back downstairs and get another Mango Mojito.
I drank a total of 2 Mojitos.

Mango Mojitos are now my favorite alcoholic drink.
But it will probably be another two years before I drink any more hard alcohol.
They say with every alcoholic drink, your risk of cancer recurrence rises 10%.
So thats why I avoid it.
But tonight was a special treat, considering all that is going on.

-----
Mojito Books on Amazon.com
Margarita Martini Mojito: 50 of the Best Margaritas, Martinis and Mojitos
and
The Best 50 Daiquiris, Mojitos and Rum Drinks

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Friday, June 22, 2007

From One End Of Town To Another

My agent called me yesterday. I have an audition at 4:30pm this afternoon out in West Los Angeles.
That meant I had to fight traffic after leaving my job in Hollywood early, and then somehow try to make it back in time to volunteer at The Egyptian tonight.

I don't like driving the freeway. So I take Olympic straight down. The Casting Offices are on Purdue, near Pico.
Since I used to work in the area for 12 years, I kind of know my way around. But the last time I auditioned at this place, the parking was horrible.
Low and Behold - my Parking Angel was looking out for me - and some one pulled out, just as I arrived.
I got a parking spot right across the street from the Casting offices.

All I knew was that was for a commercial that would show in Turkey. We would never see it in the United States.
I looked up the name of the product on the internet, but it was a popular word in Turkish.
So I really wasn't sure what product I would be auditioning for.
Its either an alcoholic drink, or the latest Pop star's new album.

I even ask a 20-something young man who was looking at the story-board with me, if he knew what the product was.
He just smiled and walked away.
I guess he didn't want to chat.

We look at the story-board, read a description, and get a Polaroid taken.
They call us in groups of six.
Turns out my role is that of a Coffee Shop Waitress.

We were told "This is not a McDonalds commercial. Do not be bright and cheery. This is very melodramatic.
A dark setting. This of it as a David Lynch movie."

My role was to be a sad, distant Coffee Shop Waitress.
And when the product appears, I look happy and hopeful.

After the Casting Associate was done filming my group of six - someone asked him, when were "They" going to be looking at our tapes and making their decision ?
The Casting Associate answered "Oh, they will see it in about 5 minutes. They are working in Brazil right now, and I transmit the auditions over the internet to them. So someone in Brazil will be seeing your audition in a few minutes."

Well, I can actually say I have transmitted over the internet, and watched in Brazil.
Its kind of a weird feeling actually.

As I was leaving West LA, I stopped at Big Tomy's on Pico Blvd and Sawtelle for some fried zucchini.
Which I ate in the car on the drive back to Hollywood.

Everything was fine, untill I tried to go North on Highland.
Traffic was unbelievably backed up. All the way to Santa Monica Blvd.
I turn up Franklin - and I try to take Orange up to Hollywood and Highland.
But one the small residential street by the Roosevelt, Orange is backed up and not moving.
So I turn left on a Sunset and come up La Brea. Then to Franklin.
As I approach Hollywood & Highland, I see all sorts of "NO Right Turn" signs.
I take another side street, and make a left on Hollywood.
Finally, I make it to Orange, and to the Validated Parking at Hollywood and Highland.

I later learn, that Ratatouille was premiering at The El Capitan , and most of the street was of blocked off.
AND there was a big opening night concert with Jack Black, and Kristin Chenoweth and Plácido Domingo, at The Hollywood Bowl .

So that all explains the traffic nightmare.

I make it to the Egyptian by 7:15 - but I had already told them I expected to be late for my volunteer shift.

Crispin Glover's show started at 8pm.
I was volunteering as Ticket Taker. But I went in after the show started, and saw Crispin Glover's live performance of "The Big Show".
I stayed for about 10 minutes of "What Is It?" - but I was to tired from driving to West LA and back in traffic.
I will be able to see it some other time over the weekend.

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Monday, June 18, 2007

Whole Foods - Part Two

After work, I head back to Whole Foods, and get my store credit, for my fancy $5 cupcake that they forgot to put in the bag yesterday.

As I walk up, I see people eating on the patio. The hot food from the Deli take-out section looks pretty good.
So I take my store credit, I head over there and put a variety of hot foods in the cardboard container.

I like those cardboard containers, I wished more places used them.
I hate Styrofoam and plastic containers - I always worry about the chemicals that are leeching into the hot food.
The cardboard containers the Whole Foods uses are really good.

Well, dinner adds up to about $10 - and I use my $5 credit from the cupcake I never got.
The food is ... okay. Not worth $10.
What can you expect from food sitting out on hot plates.
The best was the lasagna and tamale.
All the rest was either to cold (they did provide a microwave), or it was bland.

I was drinking an Iced Chamomile Tea that was delicious. No caffeine.
I have to remember to by a 6-pack of it next time I am shopping here.

As I ate, I eavesdropped on conversations.
The two men behind me were discussing the positives and negatives of vegetarian and raw diets.
The one man insisting that the vegetarian diet was the best.
And the other man saying a vegetarian diet made him sick because he did not get enough protein. So he now eats about 80% raw foods, and fish once a day.
It was an interesting conversation to listen to.

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Sunday, June 17, 2007


Whole Foods

Last trip of the day - Whole Foods Market for grocery shopping.
All my organic veggies for the week. Salad stuff.
Organic easter-egg radishes, in pink, white and red - very pretty.
Some free-range chicken.
Sushi for dinner.
And.... a chocolate wheat-free cupcake with whipped cream center.

I get home.
I unpack the bags.
No cupcake.
They didn't put the cupcake in with my groceries.
And the thing was Five Dollars.

I call the store. Yes, the $5 cupcake is at the cashier stand.
They tell me to come by tomorrow for a store credit.

This is about the third time, that the cashiers at Whole Foods have forgotten to put something I've paid for in my grocery bag.

Well, I will have to wait until tomorrow for the $5 wheat free chocolate cupcake with the whipped cream center.

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Brentwood Country Mart


Spent the day walking around Brentwood Country Mart - looking at all the expensive stores.
With all the expensive items.
Very pretty things, but way out of my price range. But still it was fun to look.

The Brentwood Country Mart is one of the places that celebrities go to shop.
Except today being Fathers Day, there wasn't alot of people there at all and some of the stores were closed.

We stopped in the Brentwood General Store - and I bought
Cuisine Hand Butter.
Then at Bellas Beauty, I bought
Bellvita Honey & Mandel Almond Shower Gel and
Bath Lotion .

Lunch was at Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers
in the center of the Brentwood Country Mart.
I had the Sunshine Burger, which was delicious with sprouts and avacado, on multi-grain bread.

Gee, two hamburgers in two days.... yesterdays burger at Johnny Rockets at The Grove was terrible, and todays at Barney's was delicious.
Either way, I may need to lay off the red meat for a while.


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Sunday, June 10, 2007

Sunday in Hollywood

First, I overslept really late ... and was rushing to get out the door.
I wanted to grab dinner at a restaurant, but I didn't have time.
So once at Hollywood and Hollywood ,
I ran into the new Quiznos .

The guy behind the counter looks at me and says :
"First, before you order - we are out of ......"
and he lists about 20 different things like "all of our salads" and "roast beef",

I stood there saying "Okay, what DO you have?"
And I ended up with some beefy cheese sandwich ...I think it had mushrooms in it too.

Then ran down Hollywood Blvd, to make it in time for my volunteer shift at the
Egyptian Theatre .
There was a performance of Brand Upon The Brain by Guy Maddin.

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Sunday, April 29, 2007

Sunday in Toluca Lake



Volunteered at Falcon Theatre this afternoon.
For the play, "Balancing Act".
It was the second time I have seen it.
Yeardley Smith is so funny in it.

After that, it was time to run errands.
I went to Marie Callender's and had a wonderful dinner.
Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes.
The portion was so huge, it was three servings - so I took some home for lunch at the office tomorrow.

I had actually been craving artichokes lately. And whenever I buy them, I don't seem to get around to cooking them.
Artichokes are a difficult vegetable to prepare.
So this was a perfect dinner... It satisfied my artichoke craving.

Then I ran into Trader Joes . The one on Riverside Drive is actually pretty small.
But I got most of what I needed. Especially my two favorites, the Organic Cranberry Juice, and Organic Decaf Chai Tea.
Then I realized on my way out, that Trader Joes has a monthly drawing.
If you bring your own grocery bag, they will enter you in a drawing for a free gift certificate.
I have to remember to bring my own bags in the future.

The only thing I noticed ... Our weather has been really weird lately.
We have had really blazing hot days, and then today seemed to cool down a bit.
But at both Marie Callender's and Trader Joes - the air conditioning was turned up to a bone-freezing chill.
At the restaurant, I had to ask to change tables, because one side of the restaurant was so cold. And where I ended up sitting - I was still cold.
Then I hurried through Trader Joes because it was so cold there to.
And it wasn't just me - believe me, it was freezing cold in both places.
I wonder if it was because it was just so warm outside, and no one adjusted the temperature once the weather started to cool off for the evening.

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Wednesday, April 25, 2007


House of Blues


Dinner tonight was with friends at House of Blues Restaurant in West Hollywood.
One friend has someone visiting Los Angeles from Paris, France.
So we all went and had dinner in West Hollywood.

I had a delicious steak, with sauteed mushrooms.
Turned out I was the only one of the four of us who liked mushrooms.
And three of us ordered steak....

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Monday, April 23, 2007

New Acting Pictures


I spent the day in Westwood, having new acting pictures taken.
We walked around the Westwood area, and I ended up with 300 pictures to chose from.
I brought about nine different outfits. We used four of them.

After the picture taking was over with - I went to the Century City Mall .
I haven't been down that way since they re-paved Santa Monica Blvd.

And a humorous article in the Los Angeles Times inspired me to go eat in the Century City Food Court.
The article talked about how many Talent Agents have moved to the Century City area. Both Creative Artists and International Creative Management are in the area now.
And they all hate having to eat in the food court. But thats one of the few choices that they have.
You can read the article here:
Power plays - for a food court table

My favorite line from the article:""With all the suits and sunglasses, it feels like "The Matrix: The Food Court".

So I stopped off. I got Teriyaki Chicken, and an order of sushi, and it came with a soup.
The place was so crowded, there was no room to sit outside.
I had asked for the food "To Go", because I figured it would be to much food to eat in one meal.
Half of it was going home.

It was a good lunch, at a reasonable price.
And a very fun place to People Watch.

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Saturday, April 21, 2007

The Geffen and The Newsroom Cafe


I went online and bought tickets from Goldstar Events .
This is a great on-line service that allows you to purchase tickets for plays and other events at a reduced price.

I got tickets for the play "Heroes" at the Geffen Theatre .
Even though my ticket was almost half priced, I ended up with fantastic seats in the 3rd row.
It was great being up that close.

The actors in the play were George Segal , Richard Benjamin , and Len Cariou .
The play is a comedy about three friends in a French military hospital in 1959.

After the play, we stopped off at the Newsroom Cafe on Robertson Blvd in Beverly Hills.
We sat at one of the tables for four.
One of the waitresses came over and asked us to move to a table for two.
There was hardly anyone else in the restaurant, most of the tables were empty.

But we decided that we would just switch tables and not make a fuss.
As we switched tables, the waitress looked at her watch.
I said "Well, I guess she is expecting a big dinner rush."
My friend said "Well, if she is our waitress, she is not getting a big tip." He was alittle mad that we had been asked to move, since the restaurant was mostly empty.

Well, she wasn't our waitress - we had a waiter and he was nice.
I ordered a shark dinner special, it was very delicious.

We kept looking around the restaurant, and there were no other people coming in.
When we finally left at close to 7pm, there were still very few people in the restaurant, and mostly empty tables.

It was very annoying to be asked to move to a small table when there was no one else in the place.

We went for a quick walk up and down Robertson Blvd, passed The Ivy .
Looking for Stars - or at least some paparazzi who were looking for stars.
It was a pretty quiet night.
We saw a few stick thin women in very expensive skimpy clothes - obviously Models.

One little skinny woman walked passed me - accompanied by a tall, humongous guy who looked like he belonged in a street gang.
My friend said "You don't think they are dating do you?"
I said "No, I think thats her body guard."
I don't know who she was, I didn't recognize her.

Then, I passed a skinny rock & roll looking guy.
I couldn't tell if his long blond hair was a wig, or a bad dye job. I think he was wearing a wig so maybe no fans would recognize him.
Since he was trying to be incognito, I looked him straight in the face, trying to figure our who he was.
He nodded and half-smiled at me, as we passed.
I think he was trying to figure out if maybe we knew eachother.
I mean, why else would I be looking directly at him...
Could it be because he was wearing a really bad wig, so obviously he is somebody famous - and I wanted to figure it out.

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Wednesday, April 18, 2007


Veggies !


Vegetables

I love veggies ! Especially if they are fresh, and cooked just right.

I had some Purple Potatoes & Red Potatoes that I had picked up from Trader Joes .
And I stopped off at Mayfair Market and got some Yellow and Green Patty Pan Squash, Yellow and Red Bell Peppers and onions.
Alittle oil, alittle seasonings - and I put them in a covered glass baking dish.

The perfect side dish for chicken.
Lunch for the rest of the week.

Links:
Vegetable Cookbooks

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Monday, April 16, 2007


Stress Control Food

Why is it that when we are really stressed out, we crave food ?
Especially bad food ?

I was thinking this as I drove away from the terrible doctors appointment with Dr. Psycho.
I had decided to drive directly to Fat Burger .
I needed a Fat Burger. I craved a Fat Burger.

Is it a learned response ?
Eat something, and you will feel better.
Well, thats for sure.

Or is it a physical response ?
Stress happens, the body craves nutrition, so go eat.
And then you feel better....

Once at Fat Burger, I decided to try to be some what controlled.
That is something I am trying to learn : That when I eat out, its not an excuse to pig out.
I am learning to eat out, and still be somewhat sensible in my choices.

So I order the Turkey Burger.
Instead of a regular hamburger.
A Much better choice.
But okay, still Onion Rings.
I have to have the Onion Rings.
Fat Burger makes great onion rings.

And then, I feel so much better.
And Dr. Psycho is long forgotten.

Links:
Fat Burger
Burger Cooking Items
Burger Cookbooks

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Saturday, April 14, 2007


Breakfast and Shopping



I'm back in Studio City this morning.. this time the city has power and there are no traffic problems to get there.

Breakfast at Dupars Restaurant.
I order the Veggie Delight Omelet. Filled with grilled zucchini, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and Parmesan.
When it arrives, it smells absolutely wonderful.
And it was as yummy as it smelled.

I spent my breakfast time, starting to read a really great book.
Great Comedians Talk About Comedy by Larry Wilde.
This book contains wonderful interviews with famous comedians including Woody Allen, Milton Berle, Jack Benny and Phyllis Diller.
During the interviews these outstanding comedians give very interesting information on how they got started in comedy. They share the styles and techniques they use as comedians, and so much more useful information.
This book should definitely be on the "Must Read" list for any actor interested in performing comedy.

After breakfast, I made a grocery shopping trip to Trader Joes ,
since it is in the same shopping center as the restaurant.
I pick up three more bottles of the Trader Joes Cranberry Juices that I have started to love so much.
This time I decide to try the Cranberry Hibiscus Tea Blend.

I also treat myself to the Trader Joes Gingeroos - Ginger Cookies, which have real crystallized Ginger chunks.
Those will go great with the Trader Joes Organic Decaf Chai Green
Ginger is a great spice for improving your health.

After that, it is time for a brief walk, up and down a part of Ventura Blvd.
I take some pictures with my camera, and I will eventually post them on my Flickr account.
These days the Flickr account seems to be running behind, now that I am keeping the blog roughly one week caught-up. I just wish I had more time for internet things.

Links:
Great Comedians Talk About Comedy
Omelet Cookbooks
Ginger cookbooks

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Monday, April 09, 2007


Farmers Markets links

If you are in California, and are looking for Farmer's Markets to buy your veggies at, I have found a few links

California Federal of Certified Farmers Markets
and
Farmer Net
Also
Local Harvest has information for the entire US

I guess with Spring here, I have fresh produce on my mind....

Link:
Vegetable Cook Books

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Shoppping and Cooking

I have been trying to cook early in the week. That way I have something healthy in the fridge for lunch during the week.

Tonight I stopped at Mayfair Market in Los Feliz.
They have Free Range Chicken there.
Then I went home, and cooked two chicken breasts with spices.

Then I made the Near East Pecan & Garlic whole grain blend rice.
And I mixed it with brussel sprouts and chopped red bell peppers.

A very healthy selection for lunch this week.

Links:
Healthy Cookbooks

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Saturday, April 07, 2007


Breakfast, Movie

Over to Mel's Diner is West Hollywood for Breakfast.
Yes, I got their Eggs Florentine. It is my favorite breakfast.
Read the LA Times .

Then I went into West Hollywood for about a half hour walk, and I took some pictures.
I will be posting them over on My Flickr Page sometime soon.

Then I dashed over to The Arclight Theatres.
I decided today to see the movie Zodiac.

First, when I went up to the concession stand, the nice guy behind the counter asked me my name.
I said "Donna"
He said "Donna, I'm Joshua - I see you here all the time. You come here alot."
I said "Yes, I do."
He co-worker asked him "Why are you asking her for her name ?"
Joshua replied "She comes here all the time. Don't you" he asked me.
I replied "Yes I do. Where you here for AFI ? I was here every day for AFI."
As I walked away I thought to myself "I think I am seeing to many movies. Maybe its time for a new hobby."

I had put off seeing Zodiac, because it runs 2 hours and 40 minutes.
I wasn't sure that I could sit still that long.
But it has so many great actors in it - Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards , Robert Downey Jr.

I am glad I went to go see it. The acting was amazing.
The only bloody parts were in the beginning. After that it was all detective work.
Three hours flew by - it didn't even feel like 3 hours. The length of the movie really allowed all the Details of the investigation to be in the movie.

Most of my friends know that I like the commercial cutesy movies. So I have been telling them "You know, I am really surprised that I liked Zodiac so much. It must be that the bloody parts were at the very beginning. And the rest of the movie focused on the investigation. It was really fascinating."

Here's a link:
Zodiac Movie Official Site
and
Books About the Zodiac Murders on Amazon.com

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Monday, April 02, 2007


Salads !

Since I wrote in my last two entries about all the junk I ate over the weekend, I thought I would fix the situation and talk... Salads !

I usually like to buy a box of Earthbound Farms the Organic Herb Blend, along with a box of Epic Roots Mache (also known as lambs lettuce).
The organic Herb blend has yummy herbs like Dill. And the Mache is a cute little flowery looking lettuce with a sweet nutty flavor.

I mix them together in a bowl ... and then I usually top it with Fresh Gourmet Organic croutons.

Then for variety ::
Chopped yellow bell pepper or red bell peppers ... orange bell peppers
if the store has them
Organic low-salt kidney beans or garbanzo beans...I saw that S&W foods
is starting to make Organic kidney beans and garbanzo beans. I even sent them a nice email about how happy I was about their organic beans.

Then I will add either chopped broccoli or cauliflower, or sometimes alittle of both.
On the side of the plate, I will place either organic carrots or celery sticks, or sliced cucumber or zucchini.

Every once in a while I will live dangerously and use Tomatoes, but mainly small baby tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. They seem to be somewhat sweeter.
I like tomatoes - but they don't like me.
Tomatoes are the one thing that will give me such bad heartburn that I feel like I am in an antacid commercial with the buttons of my shirt burning off.
Friends even look at me funny when I peel the tomato slice off my sandwich
in restaurants - but that the way it has to be.

Just this week, at Mayfair Market in Los Feliz - they had package of little organic Heirloom Tomatoes .
Pretty little red tomatoes with white strips.
Purple Tomatoes and Yellow Tomatoes (both very yummy).
Funny bell-shaped tomatoes.
And there were green tomatoes of different shapes and sizes. I couldn't figure out what to do with these, so I left them until last, and they went soggy before I had a chance to experiment.
As for the tomatoes that I did eat, since they were very sweet, they didn't seem to bother me much.

Even less often will I use cheese. If I am over at Whole Foods, and I happen upon a Feta Cheese or Blue Cheese, then I will pick some up.
I try to limit my cheese because of all the hormones and antibiotics they put in it.
But I had a long talk with the person in the Cheese section of Whole Foods not to long ago. She told me it is very difficult to get Organic Cheese - they only have it once in a while. All of the cheeses at Whole Foods are Natural cheese, meaning that they do not use growth hormones or antibiotics on the cows that produce the cheese.
Sometimes when I am at Whole Foods, I will ask "Any organic cheese today?" Once or twice they have had some.

Very, very rarely will I buy Cheese at the Supermarket - if so, then I read the teeny tiny print to try to see if it was produced outside of the United States because most other countries do not use antibiotics.
If all of that works out, and there is cheese in the salad, thats usually when I used the Garbanzo beans.

After all those goodies are in place, I will add a type of fish.
Sometimes when I am in a rush, I will just add canned tuna or canned salmon.
But lately, I have been cooking salmon, shark, or halibut. Once they are cooled down, I flake them and add to the salad.

For dressing:
Organic Olive Oil, Organic Balsamic Vinegar, and Organic Garlic powder
or Marie's Dressing
or Newman's Own Salad Dressing.
The Whole Foods Private Label 365 also makes some good salad dressings.

As far as all the fixings go, I try not to skimp. I'll always buy organic if its available. And weird varieties and types that I haven't eaten before.
I figure when I do that, it helps cancel out all the times I eat at a restaurant and
decide to eat the greasiest thing on the menu.
Its very important to have both vegetables and fish in your diet.

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Sunday, April 01, 2007


Lazy Day in Los Feliz

A lazy day, I had to return some library books. And I didn't get to the library before it closed.
So I figured I would just go into Los Feliz, and leave the books at the Los Feliz Branch of the public library .

Then, I head over to the Alcove Cafe .
It is packed with people - which is kind of fun.

I go up to the counter and order my food.
Its a pretty healthy place, and I order the worst thing on the menu
A Roast Beef with Horseradish Mayo. And Onion Rings.
The onion rings at The Alcove are amazing. The are like a crispy crunchy donut with an onion in the batter.

I probably feel like heavy food, because I haven't eaten all day.
As I read the Los Angeles Times, I see some one else with dessert.
I get half of my sandwich and onion rings to go, and I head back inside.

I order a white cake with cream cheese frosting, and all sort of fresh berries in the filling.
To Go.
Berry Surprise ? Berry Sunrise ? Something like that.
When I hear the price, I can't believe how expense it is for one piece.
But the one piece was about four servings.

Then back home to finish my lazy day.
I have 1/4 of the slice of cake, with tea, while I post to my blog.

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Saturday, March 31, 2007


A Day In Hollywood

I signed up for an early morning volunteer shift at Egyptian Theatre .
They don't usually have things where I need to be there at 9:30 am. But today was an all day event, sponsored by The Korean Cultural Center of Los Angeles and The Japan Foundation of Los Angeles .
Two Anime movies, Aachi & Ssipak from Korea, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time from Japan

Of course, I was running late. It is Saturday after all.
So instead of parking in the Hollywood and Highland lot, where they will validate - I grab a spot on the street and start to feed the meter.
I am standing there, digging through my purse trying to find that Quarter that is stuck at the very bottom.
When a group of four nice gentlemen go passed by me.....
And one of them puts a Quarter in the parking meter.
"You don't want to get a ticket. They are really strict around here, I know how it is" he says.

"Oh, yeah, okay - thanks." I say stunned and almost speechless at what just happened.
As they continue on their way.

By the time I run/walk to the Egyptian, they are an entire half block away.
I thought they were going to the Anime event - I mean why else would a group of four guys be in Hollywood at this time of the morning ?
But by the time I realize they are walking passed the Egyptian, it is to late for me to run after them to say anything, and I really wanted to invite them to the free animation screening.

As I am volunteering, a theatre patron asks another volunteer about where to eat in the area.
The volunteer tells him about the great places to eat over at Hollywood and Highland . I hear them mentioning "California Pizza Kitchen" and Beard Papa's Creme Puffs.
They are talking about how delicious the creme puffs are....

Soon the Anime movies are starting. But now I have to move my car.
The meters on the street are only for one hour. And I will be in Hollywood all day.
So I go drive me car into the Hollywood and Highland complex.
I can get validated - 4 hours for $2 - but it really won't matter, because I will be there all day.

Walking back up through the mall, to make it back to Hollywood Blvd and the Egyptian, I walk right passed Beard Papa's Creme Puffs.
How long has it been since I have had a Creme Puff ?
Oh, around Twenty Years.
Thats it. I am having a Creme Puff.

I walk into the store, and yes they sell Creme Puffs. There is a few flavors to choose from.
And a few other desserts. I am wondering "How can a store survive only selling Creme Puffs?"
I order one with chocolate filling, and a cup of coffee.
And it is sooooo delicious.
Then its back to finishing my shift at the Egyptian.

Later on in the afternoon, I meet up with friends.
I have been getting opinions on the movie ""300" , trying to figure out if a women in her 40s, like me, could possibly enjoy an ancient Greek war move.

I have asked two other friends. One said Yes, it was Fabulous.
The other said No, it was to violent and she hated it.
So I decide to ask one more female for one more opinion.
"Oh, it is fantastic ! You have to see it !" she says.
"Well, I heard it wasn't that good" I said "Oh, no... its great... there are really fit buff men who wear nothing but leather diapers through-out the entire movie. Its fantastic, you have to see it !"

Well, thats a good enough review for me. I'm there.

I walk over to the Mann's Theatres at Hollywood and Highland.
I was hoping to see it in the Chinese, but the timing doesn't work out right.
I will have to see it in the Mann 6.
I ask the ticket seller how big the theatre is. It only has 150 seats.
He notices the look on my face "But we've only sold 8 tickets, you can sit anywhere."
I buy a ticket, alittle unhappy about the situation.
This is the kind of movie you really want to see on a huge screen.

In line to get my concessions. I am trying to ignore the family in front of me.
The mother and father look like they just walked out of a Bar, are alittle tipsy, and its only early afternoon.
The mother has bleach blond hair, and she is wearing black leggings - not a good choice for someone in her age range.
The poor little boy just wants some candy.
"No, you aren't getting any sugar. Thats all you eat is sugar", says the mother.
She orders a couple of Combos. Popcorn, Soda, Candy.
The Concession Guy asks her "What size combo do you want?"
"I don't care" is her reply.
She and her husband are completely confused at the concession stand choices.

I move to a different line and get my concessions and go into the theatre.
I sit in the very last row of the 150 seat Mann 6, hoping to get a good view.
It was okay from the last row.

"300" is a movie that both men and women will like. There is definitely alot of war in it - because thats what its about.
And blood, and heads getting chopped off. But its all in Slo-Mo, so it doesn't seem the realistic.
During the movie, I only had to shut my eyes once.

And yes, as my friend said, lots of really hot dudes in leather diapers in the movie - "300" of them in fact.

I did enjoy the relationship between the King and his wife .
I wonder if thats really how they treated their women back then.
Oh, and there is one really steamy love-scene that is worth the price of your admission ticket.

And.... its also a history lesson, because these events really did happen.


After that, I am ready for dinner - so I stop at "California Pizza Kitchen".
And I have the healthy Chopped Salad, with no salami, but with chicken.
Next to me is a table of Working Actors, who are discussing acting teachers, casting websites and similar.
It was interesting eavesdropping on them. One of the actors was saying how studying at one of the Improv schools, like Second city, or the Groundlings, was considered very impressive by most casting directors. They give it even more consideration
than if you studied theatre arts at a four year college.
I don't know if thats true - but that what he said.

After arriving in Hollywood at 9:30 am, it is finally time to go home - and its 8pm already.
The parking validation didn't help - I was there all day, and I have to still pay ten bucks to get out the lot.

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Monday, March 26, 2007


Dinner and Conversation

Dinner with friends at Mel's Diner on Highland.

I got a meatloaf dinner. And then we had berry pie for dessert.
Enough food to bring take half home for lunch tomorrow.
Not the best choice. But maybe the berries in the pie will kill all the bad things in the red meat.

Interesting conversation. You know, its kind of strange looking back on 2005 and my cancer surgery.
And its kind of strange how I pick and choose what I do and don't do.
I did the radiation. I refused the chemo.
I won't use plastic utensils or Styrofoam if possible. And I have been known to educate a restaurant or two about their dangers.
I won't drink artificial sweeteners or eat processed meats.
I take a long list of vitamins a supplements, like Co-Q10 , Flax seed , Fish Oil, Mushroom Extract and Curcumin extract .
I even tried "Cats Claw" herbal tea, though I didn't like it very much.
Every so often I do the Budwig thing with cottage cheese and flax seed.
I drink organic green tea, and Trader Joes Organic Decaf Chai Tea, which contains organic cinnamon and organic ginger.
And I try to buy Organic whenever possible. (Except of course eating out.)

Every morning I have a bowl of slow-cooked oatmeal, with fresh berries, cinnamon and ginger and ground flaxseed, along with an organic hard boiled egg. (Thats a big change from the bagel with cream cheese that I used to have every morning..)

Yet...I still have one or two glasses of wine per month - which I still think is to often.
I keep trying to quit high-fructose soft drinks. (I'm down to one a day, or less - which is still to many.)
I use the microwave about twice a week - which I also think is to often.
I wanted to quit dairy products, but that was next to impossible, so I try to limit them.
I still drink coffee.
I still need to lose weight, and exercise more.
And I dye my hair. Which pretty much makes most of my friends freak completely out.

I guess it comes down to the fact that you can't stop living your life even though you have had a terrible disease.
You still have to do, whatever it is you have to do.

This all came from the part of the conversation where my friends noticed my hair.
The last time they saw me, I was blond.
Now I am such a dark brown, its almost black.
But it is closer to my natural color, and I prefer how it covers up my grey hairs.

I told them that after the cancer, I was pretty much committed to becoming an "Earth Mother", not even polishing my nails. But thats not me, and there was no way I could stick to it.
I had to keep living my life, and adjusting what I could, and accepting what I can't.
And I laughed about my hair and said "I'm surprised you even recognized me !"

---
More info:
Johanna Budwig books on Amazon.com
and
Natural Approaches to Cancer Treatment books on Amazon.com

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Saturday, March 24, 2007


Souplantation

A delicious lunch today at Souplantation on San Vincente in Brentwood.

I filled up on the salads. It great that its all chopped and prepared right there for you.
I can eat veggies that I normally don't buy - like radishes.

Also, the clam chowder was delicious. With corn bread.
Then for dessert, I had alittle chocolate pudding and lots of fresh melon.
My friends liked these peanut butter/chocolate things they had.
But I am not a peanut butter person at all.

For the month of April, Souplantation is having alot of items with Lemon.
Theres going to be a Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup,Summer Lemon Salad w/ Spiced Pecans, and a Hot Lemon Lava Cake.
I will be definitely going back.

Oh, also... look for the coupons in the Sunday Los Angeles Times . You can eat at Souplantation for a discount with the coupons.

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Friday, March 23, 2007


Pet Food recall

I am completely stunned by the Pet Food Recall that is going on.
I just can't believe something like this is happening.
It saddens me to think how many little innocent pets have died, or become seriously ill, because of this.

On the nightly news, one commentator mentioned the entire thing brings up a whole new question.
Is any of this poisonous food, in any human food ?
Supposedly it has something to do with the Wheat Gluten in the canned pet food. It was imported from China where they are allowed to use the rat poison around food products.
Why are we buying any food product from a country that is allowed to use pesticides that the USA has banned ?

There needs to be a big investigation into this entire thing.
Who are we buying our food products from, and how are they farming ? Why aren't we buying wheat Only from the United States and other countries that watch what they put in their food?
As far as I am concerned, the only thing that can make up for this is a
huge class action lawsuit, that will make Menu Foods pay for what has happened.
Because, since they are buying from China, we aren't going to get the company that grew the wheat to be accountable for what they have done.

As far as Cinnamon the cat goes, she has been eating organic canned food.
I actually switched her about six months ago, because a few times she did throw up and have diarrhea.
I thought it was because she was getting old, she's around 11 years now, and I thought a higher quality would be better for her tummy. Now, I wonder if something was wrong with the food even six months back.
Since I switched her canned food 6 months ago to organic, she hasn't had a single stomach problem.

Her dry food was still Iams Weight Control - and a full bag of that went into the trash. I won't take a risk with any of it. I bought a bag of the Brandon Farms, and she really liked it.

But the "By Nature" and "Brandon Farms" brands that they sell at Ralphs is made by Menu Foods as well, even though the website says that they don't use wheat products.
I really don't want to use any food manufactured by Menu Foods, because morally I don't want to give them a penny of my money.

Here are the cat foods that I use :

At Whole Foods Markets:
Pet Promise

At Mayfair Market ,which is part of Gelson's
Newmans Own Organics

These I have found at Ralphs Grocery :
By Nature Organic
and
Brandon Farms
The only thing about these two brands is that the website says they are manufactured by Menu Foods, even though they don't contain any wheat, and safe to use according to the website.
Just the fact that Menu Foods is in involved in the production, makes me not want to buy them. We need to "vote" with our dollar.

I wrote an email to Ralphs Grocery Store Management, since thats where I shop most often, and I asked them to carry Newmans Own pet foods. Then I emailed Newmans Foods and asked them to put their pet food in Ralphs.
We need to let the grocery stores know how we feel.

Also, check out the fantastic blog on PetConnection.com
There is up to date info on the pet food recall posted.
Its a very informative website for pet people.

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Saturday, March 17, 2007


Hamburger Lunch

Stopped off at Roman's Restaurant in Hollywood.
Its become my favorite restaurant for healthy and quick food.

I ordered the hamburger, and it was delicious topped with sauteed veggies like bell peppers and onions.
The side was a salad of mixed greens with a yummy vinaigrette.

It was a very healthy way to enjoy a hamburger.

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Sunday, March 11, 2007


Ma'am, We Have Eggs Florentine


I grabbed the magazines out of the Los Angeles Times , and headed over to Dupar's Restaurant at the Farmer's Market on Fairfax.

I had a really, nice, young, gay-type waiter. He was very helpful and knowledgeable.
Looking at the menu, trying to figure out what to get - it was almost as if he read my mind.
"Oh, its not on the menu, but we do have Eggs Florentine", he said.
"Eggs Florentine ! Thats what I will have", I responded happily.
Ah, my favorite brunch meal of all time.

I was sitting at a table that was pretty close to the table of some scruffy internet geek-looking types. Our tables were so close, and we kind of looked at eachother. But what to say ... except a half-smile...
I guess they weren't internet geeks, because their talk revolved around business at a beauty salon. And one of the beautiful female employees who was having an affair with a very wealthy married man. And he rented her a ridiculously expensive apartment, and bought her a ridiculously expense car.
Both men were quite amazed at how something like this could possibly happen.

I read my Los Angeles Times magazines.
I ate my delicious Eggs Florentine, with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.
Did you know that the Vitamin C in the Orange Juice will actually help you absorb the iron in the spinach in the Eggs Florentine ? Its actually a very nutritional brunch.

But my very nice young waiter kept addressing me as "Ma'am".
"Ma'am, can I get you more coffee?"
"Would you like anything else Ma'am?"
Ok... I knew I was way older than he was - and from the conversation he had with the two scruffy guys next to me, my waiter was new in LA from the East Coast.

On the East Coast maybe it is considered proper etiquette to call a woman in her late 40s by "Ma'am".
But this is Hollywood, and there is very little etiquette. Flattery is much more impressive and appreciated.
Always call a woman "Miss". It doesn't matter if she is 102 year old.
If you call her "Miss", she will assume she is looking younger than she really is, and she will be very happy.
Calling an older woman "Miss" actually will make her day. Well, at least in L.A.

But my waiter was still very nice, young and innocent - so I decided to not be offended by being called "Ma'am", chalked it up to him just getting here from the East Coast, and I left him a good tip on the bill anyway.

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Saturday, March 10, 2007


Roman's Restaurant

Lunch was at Roman's Restaurant in Hollywood.
Their website is alittle loud with a big "boom" and then music, so don't let it scare you.
But their pressed wraps are delicious. I had a beef stroganoff wrap, and it was yummy. They take the beef stroganoff and put it in a tortilla-like wrap, and squish it on the grill. Very good.
I also like their coffee bar, a delicious pastries, cookies and bars.

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Saturday, March 03, 2007


The Internet and The Flu

Here's what you do when you are stuck at home sick with the flu on a weekend.

You click on FluWatch.com , and you click on your state to see if you really do have the flu.

Or you can go to the Weather.com Flu Reports and see what it says about your state.

And guess what ? As of March 3 ... in the state of California, we were having the Flu.
So I didn't image it ... I really am sick with the flu.

I am so sick with the flu, I even made - and ate - Jello !

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Wednesday, February 14, 2007


Anti-Valentines Day at Blowfish

LA People Connection had an Anti-Valentines Party tonight.

It was at Blowsfish Sushi in West Hollywood.
We shared alot of sushi. It was yummy.
Tho I think the best thing I ordered was the Green Tea Cheesecake. Oh, that was tasty !

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Tuesday, February 06, 2007


Mammogram Time

Since having a lumpectomy and radiation for Breast Cancer in 2005, I tell my Doctor to schedule all the tests "like clockwork".
I refused the chemo ... but I still want to keep up to date with my follow-ups.

They are usually emotionally traumatic enough, that I need to take the day off from work.
So far, I have passed every test with flying colors. But it still freaks me out.

Today was my mammogram - every 6 months, like clock-work.
I have had all the paperwork in my Dayplanner, since the last check-up 6 months ago.

I arrive at the Breast Cancer Center in Glendale.... and they ask me for my paperwork.
And where is the paperwork ?
Exactly where it has been for the last 6 months ... in my Dayplanner - which is at home !

I explain the situation to them. They have to call the Doctors office and have them fax a copy of the paperwork over.
I am apologizing and apologizing for forgetting the papers. I even offer to race home to get it.
But it gets faxed over, and I am ready for my mammograms.

The last two times its been done, we only did the left breast - the one that caused all the trouble.
Now, they are doing a mammogram on both breasts. And that has me alittle worried. I wonder if my right breast has started to cause problems, and we haven't been checking it. I actually worry more about the right, healthy breast - than I do about the left breast that has had cancer.
Go figure.

But everything goes off without a hitch.
Everything is fine. No problem.
They say the Mammogram Doctor will call me with the results later in the afternoon.
And that has me worried - why are they going to call me - I try to put it out of my mind.

I stop off in Los Feliz, at The Alcove .
I order a Turkey Burger & Onion Rings and an Iced Tea.
If ever there could possibly exist Healthy Onion Rings - it would be the ones at The Alcove.

I try to relax, enjoy my food, and not think about the mammogram.
I decide to check my Cell phone to see if the Mammogram Doctor has called - and my Cell phone Battery has run out of juice !!! Its dead.

This goes along with my theory that the Human Brain only has so many slots.
And Mammograms and Doctor things take up alot of slots.
So today there was no room in my head to remember the paperwork, or to remember to recharge the cellphone battery.

I finish my yummy meal. And I think about getting one of the Alcove's wonderful cakes, but I decide against it.

When I get home, I have a voice mail from the Mammogram Doctor.
"Ms. Grayson, I just want to let you know I looked over your mammogram, and there is no sign of cancer. Everything is normal. I will see you in another six months."

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Sunday, January 28, 2007


Art and Food

Spent the afternoon at LACMA , for the exhibit on "Magritte and Contemporary Art".... featuring the artwork of René Magritte .
This exhibit was so well-done and fun. We had a great time.

After that, for the evening, we drove into Studio City, to hang out at The MiniBar Lounge.
We had a group of about 20 - and we were ordering at least one or two servings of all their little food items, and we were sharing.
I liked the "Salmon Brie Strudel" and the "Yucca Bread" the most.

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Sunday, January 21, 2007


Dinner at Mels Diner

Volunteer Captain this afternoon at the Egyptian Theatre .

Then I wanted to stop by Mel's Diner again, and have the delicious Roasted Chicken with steamed vegetables.

Well, when I had it a few weeks ago, it was fabulous.
Everything was perfect. I couldn't wait to go order it again.
Tonight, my veggies were all watery. It was very blah.
Yes, they included the yummy Baby Chinese Yellow Carrots from last time - but it wasn't the same.
Must have been a different cook in the kitchen....

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Monday, January 15, 2007


Golden Globes on TV

Went to Whole Foods in the afternoon.

Then I spent time cooking, while I watched "The Golden Globes" on TV.

I made a very healthy, vegetarian lentil soup.

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Saturday, January 06, 2007


Black Moon & Mels Diner

Volunteered at the Egyptian Theatre tonight. The movie was
"Black Moon"
directed by Louis Malle

But for some reason I just decided to take off after my shift was over.
Instead, I stopped at Mel's Restaurant just around the corner on Highland

I ordered a roast chicken dinner with potatoes and steamed vegetables.
The mixed vegetables were delicious. There was a variety of vegetables, with some yellow thing that I did not know what it was - but it sure did taste good.
I said to the waitress "The vegetables are delicious. What is the yellow thing?"
She answered "yellow baby chinese carrots".

As I stopped off to pay my bill at the cashier, I said "Those vegetables were wonderful !"
The cashier said "Oh, did you liked the yellow baby chinese carrots?"
Oh, yes...

I mean, think about it... how many times have you gone out to a restaurant and actually complimented them on the steamed vegetables ...
They were that good....


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Tailors & House of Pies


I had hit some on-line Sales over the Christmas holidays.
And I discovered that many of the on-line retailers were having huge sales during the few days before Christmas, because they could not ship the product in time for the holidays.
So I picked up a few skirts and sweaters on sale.
If you didn't need them by the holiday, they were really marked down.

Then, being that I am pretty short - it was off to the Tailors this morning.
Two of the skirts I bought had a fancy hem-line. One was a handkerchief hem. And the other was a tiered skirt with layers of lace and velvet.

I told the tailor that I did not want to lose the hemlines of the skirts. Could it be possible to shorten the skirts from the waist ?
The skirts were elastic waist, so yes, they could shorten them from the top.
The price for the tailoring would be more, almost double, but they could do it.

So just remember - if you are short, and you see a skirt with a fancy hemline.... If it is an elastic waist, just ask the tailor to shorten the skirt from the waist band.
If the skirt has a zipper, I think they can do it from the top too - but it will be really expensive because they have to take the zipper out and put it back in.
But elastic waist skirts, no problem.

(When I picked up the skirts, I was very happy with the results of how they shortened them. And I still had the handkerchief bottom, and the lace bottom.)

After I was done at the tailors, it was off to House of Pies for a late breakfast.
They have really good Eggs Florentine. They also have Eggs Benedict, and an Eggs Californian, and some other variations of the whole "Eggs on a Muffin" theme.

I sat outside on the patio, where it was alittle cold.
And I read "I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman" written by Nora Ephron .
Its a very funny book.

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Thursday, January 04, 2007


The Farm


Trying to meet a friend for a free screening of a movie. The movie was
"Miss Potter" starring Renée Zellweger .
And the screening was taking place at The Grove .

Well, I was running really late from the office. And when I arrived, the free screening was sold out.
I called my friends on my cellphone once I made it into the lobby. They were already in the theatre, and there were no seats left.

So, instead of seeing the movie, I went out to "The Farm" restaurant.
I has a wonderful Shepherds Pie, that included yellow beets and little baby onions.
It was so delicious, and filled with yummy vegetables.

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Sunday, December 31, 2006


Movie Day

It was a Movie day for me today over at the Arclight Cinemas .

I was running late, so my friends bought a ticket for me to see "DreamGirls" ...at Arclight Dome Theatre . They leave my ticket with the ticket taker.

Its assigned seating in the Arclight. You pick the seat you want to sit in when you buy your ticket.
And by the time I get there, the previews are over and the movies starting - and its pitch black in the theatre.

The usher says "Follow Me" - and he takes off towards my seat.
I can't find him. I can't see anything. Because it is completely dark in the theatre.

I find the usher again. Same thing. He says "Follow me" and He takes off again.
I am left standing in the dark.

The usher comes up to me at says "You aren't following me"
I say "Its because I can't see you."

After the movie, we run over and have Dinner at Kabuki on Vine.
I get a Tempera combo with salmon. Very good.

Then my friends and I head off the see the second movie of the day,
"The Holiday".
A very cute holiday movie.

We stop off and have desert in the Arclight Cafe.
I order a Decaf, and a carrot cake. The carrot cake is delicious.

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Friday, December 29, 2006


Beverly Hills & Los Feliz

I have the week off from work for the holidays. I decided to check out a little restaurant called "Coupra Cafe" . It was listed in the LA Times Food Section.

I had a wonderful Butternut Squash Soup. And a Mushroom Crepe.
They also have delicious coffee, and chocolates.

Then, off I went to the Laemmle's Music Hall, to see "Last King of Scotland".
I wanted to see Forest Whitaker's outstanding performance.

Unfortunately, it is playing in so few movie theatres, I had to watch it on the Music Hall's teeny weeny little screen.

And parking in Beverly Hills ! ugh !
I had forgotten that today is actually a work day. Free street parking is only on Sundays. So I had to park in a structure.
And they only validate for the movies in the evenings.
And I went to a matinee.
So it cost me $10 to park just to see the movie !

Then in the evening, it was off to "Big Foot Lodge" in Los Feliz to hang out and relax.
Since it is the holiday, everyone was telling me that it wasn't as crowded as it usually is.
A very relaxed atmosphere. With a wide variety of people.
It was a nice relaxing evening.


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Friday, December 08, 2006


2007 Calendars

Are you looking for a 2007 Calendar ?
I have calendars available on Cafe Press. All with my original photography.

Two calendars have pictures of California Palm Trees, which I shot mainly in the Hollywood area.
Then there is one calendar with Food & Drink pictures.

And, of course, Cinnamon the Cat has her very own calendar available.
12 cute pics of Cinnamon...

Click Here for Donna's Original 2007 Calendars

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Saturday, November 25, 2006


Wishful Drinking


Volunteered at The Geffen Theatre in Westwood.
For the matinee performance of "Wishful Drinking" starring Carrie Fisher .

I volunteered as an usher in the balcony.
The play was really funny, and I really enjoyed it.

On my way home, I stopped off for dinner at the Newsroom Cafe on Robertson in Beverly Hills.
They have really great healthy food.
I had the Chicken Pot Pie. It was very healthy, and very good. Perfect food for the cold weather we have been having.

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Thursday, November 23, 2006


Thanksgiving Dinner

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day !


vegetables at Thanksgiving

I made the mixed vegetables...



cranberries cook

... And I made orangy cranberry sauce



Apple Pie

Our hostess made homemade apple pie ...



Pumpkin Cheesecake
and another guest made pumpkin cheesecake


Yes, we had turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes too !

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Monday, November 20, 2006


Cat stuff on Cafe Press

My cat, Cinnamon, now has her own section on Cafe Press.
Click here for Cat Greeting Cards, Tshirts, and more
All with cute picture of little Cinnamon Cat !

I also started messing around with Tshirts with Theatre/Movie words on them.
I am still learning this part, but I thought it would be fun to offer something alittle different.
Just click to check out the Entertainment Biz section.

And .... I also have some 2007 Calendars that I have been working on.
One calendar has 12 pictures of Cinnamon the Cat, and the other calendar has pictures of Tasty Treats.
Click here for the 2007 Calendar Section .

And every week, I am adding alittle bit more, so keep checking back !


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Monday, November 13, 2006


More Cafe Press Stuff !!!


Since the holidays are right around the corner, after I was finished creating my
Cafe Press Christmas Section
, containing my original Holiday photos on Cards, postcards, tshirts and more...

I went to CafePress, and started a Food Section .
This section includes some cute Greeting Cards, Calendars, Tshirts, Aprons, and more - all of my original photography of food ! Cupcakes, Birthday Cake, Margaritas and more !!!!

I am absolutely thrilled that now my Original Photography is available on
Greeting Cards, Postcards, Tshirts and More


I will going through my Flickr.com pages, and adding more of the photos to more items.
I am even playing around with different text and abstract artwork.
So always keep checking back !!!!

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Sunday, October 29, 2006


HOB gospel brunch


Very yummy and fun day.
One of my fellow Egyptian volunteers was given one of the awards at our annual Volunteer party.
He got a gift certificate for four people to the House of Blues Sunday Gospel Brunch.

I was one of the people who he asked to go with him.
It was a wonderful show of great gospel music.
Along with amazing food. About 6 tables of buffet food.
My favorites were the scrambled eggs, the beef roast and the omelets.
One of my friends really liked the fried chicken and grits.

We got to enjoy the wonderful gospel music of the Clara Ward singers .


After we were done with the Brunch, we walked around the Tower Records on Sunset Blvd.
They are going out of business, and we were looking for sales.

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