Starfish Envy

Field Of Allergies

From my hike this morning:

This trail is a five minute walk from my house.

Have I mentioned lately that I love my neighborhood?

Podcast Anyone?

If you're a regular here, you know I don't write about work.  

Okay, yeah, so maybe it creeps in from time to time.  But not often, and only in the most general terms.  

Which is why I was torn about posting a link to an interview WP and I did earlier this week with Mo Ryan from the Chicago Tribune and her partner in podcasting crime, Ryan McGee.  And then I realized that part of the reason we were asked to do the interview was, in fact, this blog-- specifically, posts here that touch on the topic of being a woman and a writer in Hollywood.  (Here's an example.)

So if you're as interested in that subject as I am, check out the podcast.  Many thanks to the two Ryans for delving into this endlessly complicated subject.  There's a lot more to say, and a lot more progress to be made... but we really have come a long way, baby.  

My Seventh Weekly Reading List

I've started four posts in the last two hours, none of which seem to be remotely cohesive, so while I work on gathering my thoughts, I will instead deliver my seventh weekly reading list!

But before I do that, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone for giving such deeply thoughtful advice.  To say I appreciate it is an understatement of massive proportions.  While I work on how to approach the long version, the short version is this: All went well today.  Doing it again tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.  

On to the reading!

I really love this Every Woman Should list.  The only thing I would change is "how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it."  It should be "how to live alone... and like it."  Or even "love it."

Today of all days, it feels appropriate to include this Marie Claire article on a Single Mom By Choice.  What with the J-Lo and Jennifer Aniston movies, and the articles in mainstream magazines, I'm feeling very au courant, I must say.

From Rowdy Kitten, this Simple Guide to Having Fun.  The more complicated our lives get, the more we need to be reminded that the simple things really are the best things.

And this is why I stopped internet dating.  Thank you, Huffington Post for the reminder.

Finally, my neighborhood has also hit the mainstream it seems.  Apartment Therapy LA is ALL ABOUT Echo Park.  At least in this one article.  

Read away, and I'll try to make the jumble in my head into an entertaining, thought-provoking post for tomorrow.

Key word: Try.

Stopped On The Freeway

90% of what I hate about LA is summed up in this picture, taken on my stop-and-go (mostly stop) drive to work this morning.  

Why do I not live in North Carolina, where the only things that stop traffic are school buses and cotton trucks?  There wasn't even a discernible CAUSE for the crazy traffic-- which was inexplicably awful BOTH WAYS, mind you.

I need a nap.

Also, I need to clean my windshield.