peaces

Is it sad that I want all my blogging friends to start vlogging?  Don’t you guys-n-gals know how much fun we’re having?  I can hardly stand it!  C’mon, pleeeeeez.

Donna’s doing it! Right Donna?  I’m linking to her blog.  From there, you can check out her YouTube channel.  She’s already done two vlogs and getting warmed up.  I’m LOVING IT!

PBX is even vlogging!  She started a blog ages ago and updates it regularly - every four months or so. (ahem)  But so far, this vlogging thing is a hit with her.  And she’s good at it.  Not to mention, her daughter, who already has over 30 subscribers on her new channel.  She’s really good at this stuff.  Go vanillawave4peace!

Come on … who’s next?  Heather? Becky? Shelli? Gigi?  OK, the last one was a long-shot, I know. But hey, a girl can dream can’t she?

Coming up: Live video shows!  Oh yeahhhh!!  A place where you don’t have to be on camera but you can interact with the host and guests in the room, via text chat.  We’re having so much fun, it’s exhilarating and exhausting! I’ll keep you posted.

I’ve been working like a mad-woman. When I’m not working I’m writing, editing, recording or watching videos. When I’m not doing that, I’m hanging out by our new pool. Kind of an adult-style kiddie-pool. See how the pool got from the store to our backyard. What can I say, we’re having fun!

Thanks to my friend twitter.com, I’m finding some useful information on the internet.  But that’s not what this post is about.  It’s about all the fun, not-so-useful links.

Like this one:  FAIL BLOG (thanks for that one Ryan!)

There are more but this one inspired a blog post.

Not sure if you’re keeping tabs on my YouTube channel, but in case you haven’t heard, this week our household turned into a huge vlog-o-rama!  There are three of us, each with our own channel.  Two are vlogging heavily - and they are really good at it.  One is trying to stay caught up - that’d be me.

In addition to vlogging, we’re writing some sketches and preparing to make collab videos starting this weekend — since I work all week now, weekends were made for video recording.

Told you we were in for a fun summer.  Here we go!

I used to watch the show on HBO.  I might even catch a rerun on TV here and there.  But I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it.  If I hadn’t already seen IRONMAN and if I hadn’t already bought theater passes a few months ago, I might have chosen a different movie to see last night.

It was okay enough for a night out.  I laughed, I cried, I cheered in a few key moments.  But it would’ve been just as fun to watch on DVD.  It might have been better on DVD because we were in the theater for 2 1/2 hours.  That’s a long movie, for its genre.

One thing I did get from this movie is the validation that 40+ is definitely HOTT.  These women are my age … older even.  And there’s no doubt that they are hot.  I wanna be that hot when I grow up!

If I had the money that these women have, I’d be at the facialist every day.  I have oily skin that still breaks out - plus sun damage from my younger years.  I’d also go to yoga classes every day.  I’d get my body waxed and have my hair trimmed every two weeks.  I’d schedule a weekly massage.  I’d eat whole foods, juices and supplements with ease because I’d hire someone to buy and prepare them for me. (yes, I’m that lazy)

I don’t know the first thing about fashion or designer shoes, clothing or handbags.  But I would totally upgrade my wardrobe — and it would probably still cost me a fraction of what theirs costs them.

It’s tough to be glamorous when you’re broke.  So I do what I can.  I use my facialist’s products.  I wax or epilate myself as often as I can stand it (not often enough).  I could do my own yoga practice.  But I’m just not that disciplined.  I don’t eat too much but I don’t eat the best foods for my body.  I don’t know if I could give up my favorite Starbucks creations.

One thing at a time.

About a month ago PBX worked as the Assistant Director on a short film starring a fairly well-known television actress who was on a hit series in the 80s.  Or was it the 90s?  No matter.  Last fall this actress joined a hit series in their fourth season.  A series I had no interest in watching.  I tried, during their first season.  It’s a huge hit.  But it wasn’t with me.

Reluctantly, I offered to show my support by setting the DVR to record the series - that Sunday night show - the one with the girls and their families living on Wisteria Lane - Desperate Housewives?  Yeah, that one.

Houston we have a problem.

I can’t get enough!  For the past few weeks I’ve insisted on watching the show from the very beginning.  Today we’re nearing the end of season one, thanks to Netflix.  And can I tell you…I’m so excited to know there are two more seasons on DVD after this one!

Yes, I’m hooked.  I may be a late bloomer, but I’m totally hooked on the idiotic dramedy on Wisteria Lane.  I want a Poker Tuesday.  I want snooty neighbors and a hot gardener and some mystery to gossip about.

It doesn’t end there.

Tonight we’re going to see Sex and the City, the movie.

What’s wrong with me?  It’s just so girly.  Like, girly-girly.

I’m wondering how many of you view my blog in Internet Explorer. I rarely use IE so I didn’t notice that the right sidebar is hanging out at the bottom of the page - in no man’s person’s land.

I use Firefox, religiously. So that’s where I’ve done all of my testing. But one of my clients is all about Microsoft so when I visited my site from his office, that’s when I noticed the viewing catastrophe.

I also have a test blog that uses the exact same coding as this blog (for testing purposes) and it views just fine in IE and Firefox. I’m rarely on a Mac so I haven’t viewed any of my sites on Opera, Safari or other Mac-friendly browsers. Guess I should change my practices and test on as many as possible.

I’m not sure why this is happening in IE. But if anyone has any suggestions, I’m up for the challenge.

I just tweeted an offering of a free mp3 to the first person who’s able to tell me why the sidebar is at the bottom. I don’t expect to hear much. I may have 60 followers but only about 3 actually follow me.

To me, there looks like plenty of room for the sidebar to fit - on any browser. But that’s because I’m a wysiwyg kinda gal.

Suggestions anyone?

UPDATE:  It appears I owe myself a free mp3!  By removing a single link from the LEFT sidebar, the right sidebar reappeared in the appropriate position.  Don’t ask me how.  I just went widget by widget.  It’s all trial and error over here.

Email me to let me know if you have trouble viewing this page and what browser you’re using.  Thanks.

Did I mention the fun I’m having in pockets of YouTube communities? Some of us follow each other on Twitter. Some are Facebooking and MySpacing. And some have come to my blog (hi YouTubers).

My MySpace comments section was receiving too many very large images that warped the alignment of my page. They were also filled with blinkies and other pimped out bling. Because of them, my page was slower to load than usual. MySpace is slow and bogged down as it is. So I disabled the html feature a long time ago.

So, my new friend RavenSinger sent this one to me. It belongs here more than that other place anyway. Thanks Raven. So far it’s been quite an exotic week.

We skated at the beach two days in a row. I’m sore and tired but I feel blessed to be in this town. There’s nothing like the beach on a weekday evening - especially a foggy/cloudy day. We practically had the bike path to ourselves.

Then we stopped for a fresh smoothie at our favorite new place over there. Playa del Rey is becoming my new favorite area around here.

Ahhhh … What a great weekend.  No reason.  Just was.

I struggled yesterday, trying to get my thoughts together for a simple video blog.  I recorded about four different segments.  Just trying to “check in” because it had been a couple of weeks and some friends from the YouTube community were wondering where I’ve been.

It’s just not as easy to record, upload and edit video as it is to post a quick blog entry.  Especially with my older computer and free editing software.  I’m grateful for what I have.  I just can’t do exactly what I want it to do.  Perfectionist.

So I just kept giving up hope of posting a video this weekend.

Then PBX and I hooked up the webcam to send PBX-Jr. a video message and it inspired me to record a quick vlog.  I’ve been inspired to be “quick” before but this was truly a quick vlog.  No editing, no makeup, no notes, very low quality. Total old skool vlogging.  I uploaded it to YouTube and headed out the door to join the Piper-play.  When we came in, it was loaded and live.  Easy-peasy.  The way vlogging, true vlogging, should be.

Now, interestingly, I feel more free.

I can work on my sketch comedy spoofs (I wrote a great one Friday night) and music videos without pressure.  And I can post a new Freeepeace Features — featuring 3 channels I think deserve attention.  So far it’s been a hit with my subscribers.  Because I haven’t posted in a while, they’ve been asking about new features. Slacker.

I really like the pockets of communities I’ve crossed into.  I don’t solely identify with just one YouTube community which is great for the weekly features.  I’m meeting some really interesting people of all ages and videoing styles.  I like that we share our experiences and bounce ideas off each other.  I love love LOVE the collaborative effort.  Some of my future videos will include other YouTubers. Kinda cool.

I’ve also spent a lot of time learning a few cover songs.  Having fun experimenting with styles, tempo and such.  Nothing fancy. Nothing extravagant. Everything creative. Life’s blood.

Went to the beach today with PBX and the dogs.  She biked.  I skated.  The dogs were pulled in a baby trailer behind her bike.  Piper went psycho, wanting to be out running.  Sounded like a seagull … or, a tortured, suffering, dying, screaming child.  We did capture a bit on video but O.M.G. people were scared.  PBX kept telling folks we captured a seagull.  No joke about the similarities in sound.

It cut our bikepath stroll in half.  Hunny did okay in the trailer, for her first time.  She wasn’t happy with it, but she suffers silently, unlike drama queen PiperBoy!  oy.

I haven’t checked the video so I don’t know what was actually captured.  We shall see.

Still it was nice to be out in shorts and a tank top for the first time this year.  Talk about pasty white skin. Ugh.  Can anyone recommend a GOOD no-sun tanning creme?  I’m not a dog walker anymore.  It shows, in more ways than one.

Whoa. Much longer blog post than anticipated.  This is probably why I should update daily.

…in my head.

I get frequent headaches. Could be sinus issues. Could be vision issues. Could be dental issues. Could be stress issues. It’s more likely to be caffeine issues.  Sure, I drink espresso or a cup of coffee every morning.  But by midday (like, now) I tend to get a pressure headache radiating from my temples through my forehead and back, covering my head like a skullcap.

I have been drinking way less soda lately. I figure, I have three clients now and I’m traveling to three different offices throughout the week, so I need to be well and keep my natural strength up.  If I feel the lag I might have some soda but I’ve been able to stay off it all week during the midday lag.  My typical soda consists of 3/4 sprite (or similar, light-colored, non-caffeinated soda) plus 1/4 of diet coke/pepsi.  This usually gives me the caffeine kick I need.

Why not just have a shot of the dark fizzy stuff?  Typically the caramelized dark sodas give me a different kind of headache.  A stabbing-stop-dead-in-my-tracks kind of headache.  I almost feel it rush through my jaw and up my neck before that gashing pain.

So, I’m thinking, why not try to cut it out all together?

Oh wait. I’m remembering why I didn’t cave to the soda crave this past week.  Three of five days were spent at two different offices.  I had coffee in the mornings (free coffee from the office).  On my way to the second office, I made a trip to The Mother Ship for a double-tall non-fat caramel macchiato.  Oh. Hm. And by writing it out and seeing it in print, I wonder if the caramel has an affect on my headaches.  If it’s similar to the caramelized soda that squeezes my nerve endings.

I dunno.

Won’t stop me from getting a double-tall-something-else-or-other.  It’s my one vice. My treat. My life’s blood.

(click images to magnify)

What was I so worried about? I turned forty, had a mini-breakdown and now I see life is just beginning. Forty was like this scary place, looming in the distance. I’d never felt so freaked out about an age. Today I don’t really know why I was. Except that I’m not in my twenties anymore. I do miss some of those days. Some, like maybe five or six.

But now that I’m forty, I see it’s no a big deal at all.

In fact, I’ve since dusted off my Rollerblades and taken to the streets and beaches of Los Angeles. Skating for me is like riding a bike. A little easier, actually. I still feel that tentative, wobbly sensation here and there. I could easily take a flying leap into a heap of sand or a mound of gravel or cracks of the pavement. I’m hyper-aware of that (at all times). But something keeps me going.

I’m fairly comfortable on skates. I sooooo wanna jump and grind but I know that would be a challenge. I hope to build up to it.

Maybe for my 41st birthday.

For now it’s fun to feel the wind in my hair as I glide along with shaky thighs. Damn, I’m out of shape.

Luckily Hunny is older and slower too. When I feel a burst of energy I take Piper ahead for a run. Other than that, it’s a stroll-glide through the neighborhood.

I’ve been working a lot lately. I know I mentioned before that I’m reorganizing my schedule. So far, it still looks like I may have to pull 9-5 days for a while. I can’t tell you how much I hate that. 9am is okay once in a while. Not every day. It wrecks me. So we’ll see how this goes.

I haven’t had time or energy to record or edit videos either. Especially with the issues I’m having with my video editor. Such a drag. Takes three or four times as long just to get through it. It freezes, jumps, crashes, slows down. Almost not worth it. Almost.

I’ll start forcing myself to use the big computer. It’s not as temperamental as my laptop. But most of my videos are ready for editing on my laptop. It’ll take some time to transfer files. Time I just don’t have.

I’m also feeling the urge to be more social. It’s that time of year. I’ve been social online but we get to go to free movie screenings just about every week. There are weekend plans for the next two weeks. Then after that, PBX Jr (vanillawave4peace) will be here and I know we’ll be busy with summer fun! It’s pretty exciting.

We bought an old used HUGE patio table, umbrella, stand and four chairs from craigslist yesterday. Loving it! Now we have eight patio chairs and two camping chairs. We’re almost ready to entertain for the summer. Just need a BBQ and pool and we’ll be all set.

I know, I’m a spaz.

Speaking of…check out this post from Jason Mraz. Sure he’s half-naked (and beautiful) but I’m mostly interested in the whole food juicing pictures he posted. Now THAT’S how I wanna live!!

Time for some greens.

Hmmm…my laptop is making some zapping noises - like a suffering fly buzzing around.

Can’t be good.

Hitting save now.

Oh wait.

Nevermind.

It is a fly.

No worries, for my computer anyway.

The fly, on the other hand, not-so-good.

Poor little guy.