Fine, I'm lazy.

Kelly pointed out yesterday that my blog links were just the URL of people's blogs and not the actual names of their blogs. Was it because I was just lazy, she asked?

Yes.

Yes it is.

But now that it's been pointed out to me, I decided to take a few minutes to change it. I hope the new and improved blog links bring you delight and inspiration.

I thought it seemed chilly... hell just froze over.

Yes, I know most of the lyrics to "Spice Up Your Life." Of course I saw the movie "Spice World." Maybe I was disappointed to hear that Geri "Ginger" Halliwell never really made it as a solo artist after leaving the group. That doesn't mean I would support a reunion and world tour!

Only two weeks ago I had a personal brush with one blond and ridiculously skinny Victoria Beckham who literally caused a scene at the Saddle Ranch while I was trying to ride the mechanical bull.

I have no idea what she was doing at a place famous for serving up ribs, steaks and burgers on enormous platters, but she created quite a commotion. Thanks to her reality show gig, her appearance brought with it a crew toting cameras, lights, and clipboards and people with headsets whispering and pointing around the restaurant, plus the usual entourage. Not exactly the backdrop I wanted for my mechanical bull debut.

Anyway, now I hear that all the girls are getting together for a tour. It's sad really. I mean, they're all moms (Baby Spice is pregnant now) and none of them have managed to make it with a solo career. On top of that, they are planning to release a new album and a documentary that will supposedly show "the gritty side" of the Spice Girls, whatever that means.

Oh and did I mention the sad reality that what was once popular is not likely to remain popular? Good luck to you girls. And when I say "good luck to you" I don't mean it.

Read all about the horror here.

Really? Now this is happening?

According to Toto Washlet, Americans have a thing or two to learn about keeping asses smiling... and it involves aerated water and warm air.



The three-sided wraparound billboard will be unveiled July 1 in Times Square with online ads expected to follow on Gawker, Salon and FoodandWine.com.
Traffic will direct the curious to the Clean is Happy website.

"I wish we could just interview homeless people" - Kelly

I've spent the past two days finding people to interview in oil change places and auto parts stores. After about 9 hours of trying to find people to talk to (of which 7 hours were spent maneuvering through LA traffic), I realized what a strange place this is. One guy wouldn't be interviewed on camera because he didn't like his outfit, one guy said no initially, changed his mind, and then decided he wouldn't do it after all, and one guy insisted that he be interviewed and then had nothing to say.

Among our adventures (day 1 with the undergraduate account management intern and day 2 with Kelly), we saw a topless man with war paint on his face driving an old convertible roadster, talked to some kids about skateboarding, learned that a car wash includes choosing between 15 different interior scents (pina colada?), and discovered that google maps is not always right.

I'm capping off the weekend by watching 15 movies in fast forward to find appropriate video clips for a montage I'm assembling. Finding these movies involved the grueling task of digging through the assortment of DVDs Blockbuster has organized in a fun system called chaos. Not only are the movies not in any sort of alphabetical order but they are also not necessarily grouped in the appropriate genre. What should have taken 10 minutes ate up over 45 minutes of time. Not surprisingly the staff was little help, and since it was midnight on a Saturday, I wasn't expecting any overwhelming displays of customer service. First the guy tried to use someone else's card to check out my movies and seemed surprised when I told him I wasn't Simon Garcia. Then he charged me to rent a movie that was missing the DVD. "Oh, good eye," the guy said, after I showed him the empty case. Uh, no dude, it's not my eyes that are good. It's my brain. But that's just me.

The difference between non-smoker and never-smoker

Anti-smoking campaigns never seem to move me. Yeah, so throat cancer is terrible, and kids who pick their noses or put leeches on themselves are just as stupid.

But that stuff only affects pack-a-day smokers, right? Not so fast, says Canada.


Leave it to the smarty-pants Canucks to launch an effort to talk to those "non-smokers" who still carry a pack and a lighter.

Now if only we could find something to affect the "There are no calories if I eat it in my car" and the "I'm not an alcoholic if I remember his name" demos.

Lifesavers are so sweet...

I've always loved ads for Lifesavers and this campaign is no exception.
Life Savers - Muffin Top on DHADM

I can't even draw a circle that connects...

I came across this video today and after watching it three times, I'm still reeling. It's a bit long (~ 3 minutes) but totally worth it... although I can't figure out what the hell Quicken Loans has to do with any of this...

LA driving adventures

I finally got internet access although it's a totally unreliable wireless signal. I actually spent a good part of the last week driving around looking for free wi-fi, but it's a lot harder than I thought.

In my first week in LA, I've already gone through $60 of gas, from driving to the gym to work and back to just driving around getting lost. When people talk about how bad traffic is in LA, they're not kidding. It's pretty incredible that there are so many cars on the road at all hours of the day and night and all over this huge metropolitan sprawl. The good part of it that I've done some fun exploring (mostly along the beach) and seen some really cool stuff.

So to recap the last week:

The first day I was here, Kelly and I went to a polo game at Will Rogers State Historic Park. That's right, polo, with horses and everything. Will Rogers was a huge riding and roping fan and bought 186 acres for a ranch in the 1920s. After he and his wife died, the main house, some riding and roping areas, trails and a huge field were made into a state park. Back to the polo game... even though I don't know a thing about it (except what I've seen in "Pretty Woman") it was fun to watch. And yes, they even had the traditional divet stomp. This was the best people watching, especially because a very odd and overdressed couple (with an umbrella as a parasol) went out on the field. Then the guy, who was wearing dress shoes with no traction, was unable to walk up the slightest hill to get back to the sitting area. Every time he tried, he would just slide back down. It was certainly the highlight of my day.

I also visited the Santa Monica pier which is pretty awesome. It's apparently the "finish line" of Route 66 and includes restaurants, rides, and entertainment.

Nearby is the 3rd Street Promenade which is a pedestrian-only stretch of a few blocks filled with tons of stores, bars, eateries and street performers.

I've done a ton of driving around but because I don't know where I am most of the time, I haven't been able to take many pictures. I drove down Sunset Blvd. but there was so much traffic I couldn't get my camera out without possibly slamming into the back of a Lamborghini. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I've seen so many of them since I've been here, but it does seem a little ridiculous.

I've even driven through Beverly Hills but it's mostly huge houses hidden behind really tall fences so there isn't a whole lot to see besides streets lines with palm trees.