Mar Vista Mom

Pressure Post

OK, I thought about posting this, then thought better of it, then got PRESSURE to post it. And I have succumbed. Here goes:

I found my old boyfriend on Facebook. Probably a common story in this day and age. And it turns out we both live in the same town.  Or at least close enough (Santa Monica and Mar Vista). And it's been long enough that it's OK to get together. 20 (freakin) years. Wanna feel old? Try to imagine a relationship that  ENDED 20 years ago. I think you know what I'm saying. It's all water under the bridge at this point. Or else you have an ulcer for holding on to that crap for so long. Get over it!

Anyway, we wrote on each other's walls (21st Century metaphor for something sexual? Maybe, but not in this case), and made plans for coffee. As we approached the actual date, another old friend was going to be in town at the same time, so we all planned to get together.

We met for brunch, something we did as 20-somethings on a daily basis, it seems. And it was fine. A little awkward at first, as you check-in with each other and see where everyone's at -- does he still laugh at this kind of joke? Is he still as liberal as he used to be? How will we all get along? 

Well, we got along great. It was fun. we laughed and talked for hours. HOURS. I can't even tell you the last time I sat and talked with a girlfriend for that long. It was fun.

One of us has more tattoos than he ever did before, and one of us has more gray hair than she did back then. (Who?) Two of us have children, and two of us have gainful employment. Pretty different than 20 years ago. But what could possibly be the same after so long?

My old boyfriend, by the way, is known as OBJ, which stands for Old Boyfriend Jim -- not that he was ever old, just that he was my old boyfriend. Significant because I then had a New Boyfriend Jim, or NBJ, who then became HJ, or Husband Jim. 

And check this out -- honestly, I couldn't make this up: OBJ is currently dating a woman named Sarah. 

Yup, seriously. Honest. 2 couples named Jim and Sarah.

And on top of how nice it was to see my friends from my old (20 years ago) life, they told me this piece of trivia: a movie we all worked on in 1985 or something -- a crazy piece of exploitative crap we cut our teeth on as baby filmmakers -- AND all had parts in -- this piece of shit low-budget trash film had in the cast a young unknown actor who's now quite famous (and rightly so) -- Peter Krause. I never would have remembered him in a million years because it was all a memory I'd have preferred to forget, but there you have it: a Hollywood story, Ladies and Gentlemen. Sarah Auerswald and Peter Krause in the same movie. Look it up on IMDB, I dare you!

UPDATE: OMG! I'm not credited for Blood Harvest!!! Where's my agent????

Economic Woes Hit Me In My Roots

I posted about the economy at my other blog outlet, LA Moms Blog, about how I need to make more responsible choices with my money these days. And I have a major amount of responsibility to make up for when it comes to my hair.

I have a wonderful stylist/colorist, who's a great guy, good at his job, and very reasonably-priced for what he does. However, it's still too much money for me to be spending. 

I used to get highlights and I really loved them, even though it cost about $165 including tip. And since I'm a woman of a certain age, my hair's current natural color is gray, and I don't care to have people know that, thank you very much. So you know what that means: I was spending that money every 6-8 weeks.

Well, it's just ridiculous anymore. Last time I went in, I switched to a single color instead of highlights, saving myself about $50, but since I'm sure you can do the math, it's still too much money. I love my hair, and I really love my stylist, and I feel badly that I may be costing him part of his living, but the reality is the reality: I can't afford to have him do my hair.

I'm going to try the local beauty school for a cut, crossing my fingers the whole time. And to cover my gray I'm going back to the drugstore, like I used to years ago, because a box costs about $8. Sometimes there are even coupons! 

It's time for responsibility, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go around with roots showing!

Birthday Flowers

I turned 46 on Friday and got these gorgeous flowers from my brother and sister-in-law. Isn't it the coolest arrangement you've ever seen? Thanks, guys!