Starfish Envy

Up In The Air

Too tired to write anything that makes sense, so I'll just share my favorite in-the-sea-plane picture from last week...

Can't wait to go back!

On The Road Again

Tomorrow I leave Daisy Bay.

I hate to go, but (and here's the eternal conundrum of vacation) it'll be nice to be home.  

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

There are worse views to wake up to:

I'm in northern Minnesota this week, staying in the cabin that my great-uncle bought 55 years ago and passed down to my grandparents, who passed it down to my mother, who will one day pass it down to me.  

It's my favorite place in the world.  

I store my heart here, to keep it safe through the vagaries of Los Angeles life.

It's quiet and peaceful and the air is... well.  Breathable.

At night, the loons call across the water.

During the day, waves lap and clouds drift and deer graze. 

I have work to do while I'm here, but it's different than working in L.A.  I get a lot more done in a lot less time.  There are no distractions-- not even Daisy and Moose, who are home with the house-sitter.  

It's just me and my new computer and the view.

I may never go back.

A Snooze To Remember

Yesterday I went to Ojai, to visit some friends who recently bought a house there.  It was a perfect day, full of sun and trees and blue skies and art walks and farmer's market food...

I wouldn't have changed a moment.

Except that I fell asleep on their couch.

In the middle of the afternoon.

In my defense, it's a really comfortable couch.  And the breeze coming through the windows was completely hypnotic.  And the music was that perfect blend of cool and calming AND I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF, OKAY???

Before anyone gets excited that I'm feeling that famous first-trimester exhaustion, it's not that.  It's just that I'm taking estrogen again... and estrogen sucks every ounce of energy from my body.  It happened in the first part of my cycle, and it's happening again now with a vengeance.

Fortunately, I have friends who are cool when you pass out in their sunporch, and then, forty-five minutes later, still like you enough to feed you homemade guacamole.

Thanks, T&M.  XO, S.

 

No Parking? Oh, Wait.

Saw this sign today in a little office building bathroom.  Cracked me up.

I just love Canadians.

Not A Lot Of Baggage

I'm an over-packer.

But for this month-long trip to Vancouver, I really tried to pack light.  I filled one large suitcase, and one small suitcase, then shipped one medium sized box full of cold-weather gear (we're going to be doing a lot of night shooting), a medicine ball and a couple yoga DVDs.  Oh.  And a pair of cute boots.

For a month, that's packing light, right?

("Yes" is the correct answer.  Any other answer will be disagreed with adamantly.  Remember: this is FOR A MONTH.)

Anyway.  As I was getting dressed this morning, I realized: There's something seriously great about having a severely limited wardrobe.

I didn't stand in front of the closet, stressing out for ten minutes.  I didn't try on multiple outfits.  I didn't work myself into a sweat running up and down the stairs to review my choices in the full-length mirror.  (Which reminds me.  Must get full-length mirror upstairs.)

I just got dressed.  

Easy as pie.  

As someone who's been working on reducing the amount of stress in her life, turning something stressful into something as easy as pie feels like a great accomplishment.

Just one more thing to love about Canada. 

My Job Does Not Suck

And... I'm back in Vancouver!

I landed at twelve-thirty, and by three I was here:

Yeah.

I direct you, once again, to the title of this post.

Heading North By Northwest

Wednesday morning, I'll be leaving L.A. for a month in Vancouver.

I'm excited (I should be able to fit in at LEAST a couple Canucks games!), but also a little nervous.  I haven't been out of L.A. for more than a week or two in years.

I'm so tied to so many things, have so many regular appointments and obligations... it's strange to think of leaving them behind.  Strange... and kind of wonderful.

But how do you pack for a MONTH?  I'll have a one-bedroom suite at the hotel, with a little kitchen, and they'll do laundry, but... there can be a lot of different kinds of weather in a month.  And we'll be doing a fair amount of night shooting, which will be FREEZING.  

The best thing about the trip, though, is that it will distract me from what may or may not be going on in my uterus.  When you're working all the time -- in a completely different country, no less -- it's hard to obsess about when to start taking pregnancy tests.  I'm hoping I'll forget about it entirely... but that's probably too much to ask.

Still, a girl can dream.

(And not to worry-- Daisy and Moose will be well taken care of, first by house-sitters and then by a good friend, who'll be staying at my house for the duration.  They're gonna have a great time without me.)

Taking A Walk On The Wild Side

The Canucks lost tonight.  Crushing.

But y'know what's NOT crushing?  Spending (part of) the day in the Canadian woods.

Especially Canadian woods in which all the trees are covered in this stunningly gorgeous, totally magical green moss...

Doesn't even look real, does it?  

Vancouver. It Ain't Ugly.

Since I'm here in Vancouver scouting locations for the pilot we're producing, I've spent the better part of the last four days driving around the city in a van.

Every now and then we all get out to look at this school or that park or this house or that restaurant.  Little by little, you start to see a show come to life.

And, when you're in a gorgeous city like Vancouver, you also get to take some really pretty pictures:

I may never go home...