Six month resolution check 2016

Whoa, now it is getting real. Six months! Six months have passed since I made these resolutions. How is that possible? I still feel the high of Christmas 2015 and in six months it will be Christmas 2016. Life is whizzing by while I 'm still just thinking about getting to these resolutions.

I grade from 1-10 with 10 being the highest. Still early in the year so I'm not feeling too shabby...

1. To get into a routine with my physical therapy exercises and to have massages - Okay, here is the deal. I have been way better about the exercises because, well, they help. For mother's day I received some massage certificates, but decided I would get to those after I come back from vacation. But I think I should still count something for paying for it already. Right? Grade: 6
2. To be serious about getting healthy; lose weight, exercise regularly, swim - So to help me with this little resolution I made Madison join my gym for the summer, and we started off with a bang. That lasted all of one week and a half. May was busy with me volunteering at school. Then I was too tired. Then blah, blah, blah. I have been exercising twice in my own pool, but swimming no. I suck at losing weight. I suck at this resolution. I need a trainer and a personal chef. Help! Grade: 4
3. To celebrate people's birthdays via my blog - I have considered this resolution, even at the halfway mark, as completed! Grade: 10
4. To scan all my photos and organize them on the computer - Okay, well, this is another one I've done well with. Now scanning ALL my photos? Well, I have six months more to go, but the other day when I went back through the bin I felt pretty good. Until I realized another entire bag was sitting behind the bin. Still, I've rocked this one. Grade: 10
5. To work on myself mentally - These past two months were fairly decent despite horrifying happenings in the country. Staying off of Facebook helps. Listening to our reverend on Sundays helps. Living in the moment certainly helps. Still trying to master shutting up and listening more, but hey, I can't conquer that in six months. Grade: 6

Total Score: 36 out of 50 - Whoa, two points higher than last check. Still better than halfway there. Six months to go. Okay, weight. You're next.

Long Beach and Orange County - Summer 2016

Uncle Richard had half of the day off so we left Uncle Clint behind to work and hopped in the car to run some errands and get to an event that Madison picked. It was a meet and greet at a Barnes n' Noble for some YouTube stars that Madison follows. The gist we got before (and after) were these three did book review videos online. Geeks or nerds we decided, but then changed our minds after the event because they were getting teens and older to READ.

Richard had to make a stop in Long Beach to check on property that was over watering or some such errand. The house had recently been an interest for the location scout of the television series, The Fosters, much to our delight as we are viewers of the show. It was a on a beautiful strip of the water, and so while he was busy with work related stuff we played tourist.

Tom went down on to the beach to feel the water and survey the scene. The girls and I stayed above taking his pictures and waving. We have gotten the tourist thing down. He said the water was chilly, and at 64 degrees with a great wind we agreed it probably was cold. No one was really in the water just sunning on the beach.

I liked Long Beach. It was very quaint, quiet, and beachy. We had to drive around to locate another house where Richard had to drop off some gift to a friend so we saw quite a bit of the city. The area smelled like a beach side town, that smell you only get when vacationing near the ocean.

From there we headed into Orange county to the Barnes n' Noble. It was a two story bookstore, quite large, and they must not have expected a large crowd because there was minimal seating. Tom and Maddy snagged seats in the back while the rest of us wandered. Eventually we ended up behind the main table of the meet n' greet at the adjourning Starbucks. The three YouTubers, Poland Bananas Books (Christine), Jessie the Reader (Jessie), and Katytastic (Kat), arrived right after us dressed in costume from the book and TV show, The 100.

By the time the event started there was a huge overflow of people, many dressed in characters from their favorite books. The three YouTubers seemed very unsure of how to work the gig, but the audience was great and soon everyone was into the flow. Richard learned quite a lot about the YouTube world, fame, and VidCon, which was happening in Anaheim and from where these three had come from that day. He was mostly concerned about when they were going to grow up and get jobs, and was equally horrified to find out that this was their job and that it was profitable.

The three did a Q and A session, a trivia contest with prizes, a fashion show where everyone in costume walked, and a picture and autograph session. The one hour event lasted almost three hours. Barnes n' Noble gave away free books and everyone was kind, considerate, and very happy. We all agreed it had been a fun and educational experience.

We ended the night at a Laos restaurant that agreed to stay open just for us, and the couple who owned it were so sweet and kind. We chatted with them and ate from several different Laos dishes. Tom and Richard enjoyed it more than the rest of us, but we all found something we enjoyed, despite the hot and spiciness of the dishes. We headed back home where some of the family cleansed their palate with ice cream while the others went to bed.

Darcy's brush with fame in Hollywood 2016

They all loved her. Who doesn't?

Hollywood - Summer Vacation 2016

The sidewalk in front of El Capitan Theatre was cordon off as the A-listers and guests exited The
 BFG movie premiere. We just wanted to get past so that we could get to our car, but there was no way. We were about the fourth tier in of people behind the railing and getting pushed forward. Some people like us were just trying to get through, and when they realized they couldn't they turned around and squeezed back the way they had come. We figured we were there and it wouldn't be long before they let us through. I mean, how long does it take to exit a theater? I also figured a glimpse of Steven Spielberg might be exciting as well. So we stayed put.

Tom has a video he took of people filing out of the theater and it is eerily quiet. I don't remember that. Not even a peep from the crowd we were standing in, but suddenly the three guys at the front of the railing, messenger bags slung over their shoulders and cameras slung around their necks, started shouting. Loudly. Boisterously. "Catherine! Catherine! CATHERINE! WILL YOU SIGN THIS? PLEASE? CATHERINE. CATHERINE." (Guy below in hat at front, guy next to him, and guy in hat who was in front of me)

Madison: "It was Catherine Bell from the Good Witch series, you know your Army Wives actress. She was with her daughter, and I felt bad for her as they guys shouted. She put her arm around her daughter and kept walking."

I didn't see her. It wasn't as if a mass of people were exiting the theater, it was just that no one looked like anything special to me. I don't know if I expected the stars to shine with an aura or something, but everyone looked, well, normal. They came out of the theater, walked the red carpet into the road that was blocked securely off from the rest of us, and either climbed into limos or walked away into the night. Some stood in the middle of the area that had the large backdrops of the movie's posters.They took pictures and chatted, hugging people and talking.

I watched them and suddenly a face popped out at me; the child who plays Lily on Modern Family. She was standing with some grownups and other children not to far from where we stood. I clutched Tom's arm and pointed. I was very excited. Someone I knew even though I didn't have a clue as to her name.

Before I could snap the above photo the three men went nuts. "RUBY! RUBY! RUBY! RUBY! HERE! RUBY." Out of the theater came this small child who turned out to be Ruby Barnhill the child chosen by Spielberg to play the lead in this movie. She stopped when she heard her name called, turned, and then headed over to us security and adults surrounding her.

She got to the railing and all of the people there, behind them, either side of them, and so on started shoving things at her; hats, movie posters, pictures. Phones came out and snapped her signing. She smiled and chatted, but no one was interested in listening to her. It was all about capturing her image and her signature.

She was very gracious. She signed. She smiled. She let the adults move her down the line so that she could reach most everyone along the railing. She wanted to get to everyone you could tell. The innocence of the child, but there was no way. People were pushing to move forward, stretching out their arms to shove merchandise at her, screaming for her attention so that they could get what they wanted.

I snapped the action and then just stood and felt sorry for her. Everyone wanted a piece of her without really wanting her. She finally was moved out of the chaos and crossed the street into the darkness. The gentleman at the railing, the one I dubbed Paparazzi Guy and who was clearly in charge, shoved her autographed picture into his satchel, pulled out another and held it high into the air. He started shouting again at the other star of the show, Mark Rylance as he came out of the theater. The crowd went nuts. "MARK. MARK. MARK." It was blistering to the ears and not kind. The Paparazzi Guy at the rail waving his picture was nuts. He turned to Skinny Guy in front of me and shouted at him, "Call his name. %$#$ you have to shout. You're an ^&^%$#. You have to work if you want to get paid." Skinny Guy shouted more than what he had been, but his voice was quieter as if he weren't really sure what he was into at the moment. He seemed like he felt sorry for what he was doing.

By now we were right up to the paparazzi people. The tiers of people who had once been in front of us kept leaving and so Tom and I moved up. Darcy was already up to the railing to the side of us chatting with fans. Madison stayed behind, to the side out of the way. Mark Rylance walked right past Darcy to get into his waiting limo. He turned and waved at all of us, Paparazzi Guy going insane. He shouted and shouted, veins popping out of his neck. Mark Rylance looked right at him, a disgusted look on his face, and then turned to the rest of us and said, "No autographs tonight. Sorry." That didn't stop Mr. Paparazzi Guy. Oh, no. He got more forceful as if that would change anyone's mind. He told Skinny Guy to work harder, yell louder. He cursed and yelled. Mark Rylance climbed into the limo and was whisked away. Only then did the yelling stop from the obnoxious guy. Back went the picture of Mark Rylance into the satchel, out came several more.

He then went off on Skinny Guy cursing and shouting. Skinny Guy pulled out several pictures, gave them to Paparazzi Guy, told him where he could stick his job, and pushed his way past me and left. Paparazzi guy started talking to the man next to him about ungrateful little twerps. He ranted and cursed. This was his business and the only way to get paid was to work, and to work meant getting these stars' attention and autographs. I got bored watching him and turned back to the girl from Modern Family. She was still there in the middle chatting and giggling like a child her age. They were shrieking about some bug that was flying around them so I called out to Darcy who was to our left closer to the actress. I told her to look, but I had to shout that. I didn't know the actresses name, but as soon as I said Modern Family, Paparazzi Guy was back into his satchel pulling out her photo. He turned around and pushed past me, literally shoving me out of the way. "AUBREY! AUBREY!"

Darcy: "He came over and started using his elbow to push past the girls I had been talking to. He told said, "You don't do this for a living. I do and get out of my way." He came up to me with his knobby, fat elbow and I said, "Oh, no, you don't, buddy" and I used my body to keep him back. He didn't get up in my place."

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons is her name. I had to look it up after we got into the car. Paparazzi Guy shouted and shouted and shouted, but the child never looked his way. Some of the other people in the crowd chanted her name too, but it did nothing. By now I had taken Paparazzi Guy's place at the railing, but before I knew it he was barreling back to claim it again as another star exited the theater.

"KRISTEN! KRISTEN! KRISTEN! HERE! KRISTEN!" I was shoved aside until I was standing between Paparazzi Guy and a small child about ten years old whose mother stood behind him. She too had a collection of various posters and she told the child what to scream and he did so waving his poster at the comedian Kristen Schaal, who I actually recognized, and who was gracious enough to come over to sign away her signature that these assholes weren't interested in as fans, but as a means of putting dinner on their table. A vicious cycle.

The child ended up being the magnet. At first I thought the kid was with Paparazzi Guy, but they weren't. He probably should look into procreating one because the kid drew the stars. He was cute. The next star, I didn't know. I don't remember her name either despite the shouting of it. She saw the kid and headed over.

She signed the kid's poster, but asked him his name and signed it to him. Not sure if that sells. She talked to the kid while Paparazzi Guy kept shoving his picture, a racy one at that, in her direction. She signed something for him, but he tried to get her to sign another one and she gave him the cold shoulder. He tried to pass his picture to his guy friend and she realized the scam and moved on down the line toward Darcy taking selfies with some girls and signing some stuff. Paparazzi Guy started back through us to get over to her, but realized she was not going to do anything more for him.

Eventually it was over. I stood and listened to Paparazzi Guy talking to his friend. The mother and kid left. More and more of the crowd dispersed. One of the security guys, a big guy that had accompanied Ruby Barnhill over our way and who had worn a huge Disney D on his tie, and who seemed really annoyed at Paparazzi Guy during the whole autograph hounding, strode over to the railing. I thought maybe he was going to give Paparazzi Guy a talking to, but instead they fist bumped each other and started chatting about whose signatures were snagged and what events were next. I got the idea that Security Guy was the head of his own firm and that the two rubbed each other's backs when they could. Security Guy wanted to know where Paparazzi Guy's sister was and then they both discussed Skinny Guy. All very fascinating, if not sort of depressing. The world of fame and glamour has many sides and it ain't all pretty.

The red carpet was pulled up and then security opened the railings so that those of us who were left could move on down the sidewalk. We did so, heading to our car for the drive back, our brush with Hollywood and fame ending.

Beverly Hills and Hollywood - Summer Vacation 2016

Darcy informed us that today was the day for her to visit the Buzz Feed offices. She and Madison have watched these videos so often that some nights we just have a Buzz Feed night, watching videos of these employees trying out different products. Darcy has become obsessed and so she needed to feed her obsession. Her plan was to stalk the offices during lunch time in the hopes they would come and go so that she could see them.

It didn't go as planned. Our GPS took us to the new offices instead of the current offices. According to Darcy, this is the building that will eventually house the group. She has seen the tour, but unfortunately, it wasn't the place she wanted. We got back into the car and headed to Beverly Hills and the current office.

Alas, lunch time had come and gone and so she saw no one and refused to allow Tom to peer into the windows or knock on the door in hopes that someone would let us in. Instead we headed to Rodeo Drive to do some shopping and act like tourists. The girls shopped at Prada, Louis Vitton, and Sephora. No purchases were made, although they did look at a $40,000 purse.

Tom: "$4,000 for a purse?"

Me: "It was $40,000."

Tom: "No. No. Let me clarify that with Madison."

Madison: "$40,000 purse."

Tom: "For a bag? What would you put inside that?"

Me: "Uh?"

Tom: "Never mind. I know. Your empty wallet."

We left Beverly Hills and drove into Hollywood. Madison and Tom left us at the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland to get something to drink at a McDonald's so Darcy and I went into a tacky tourist trap and bought some tacky souvenirs. Happy with our gifts we started down the Hollywood Walk of Fame toward the Chinese Theater.

The main road was closed and we didn't pay much attention to why until we got halfway down the sidewalk. In front of the El Capitan Theatre the premiere for Disney's new movie BFG, due in theaters July 1st, was getting ready to start. The red carpet was laid out for the stars who were to arrive in limos up the closed road. People were lined up in droves on either side of the cordon area waiting patiently for said stars. We had no idea who was even in the movie so we looked it up online, and except for Steven Spielberg, we weren't sure of most of the actors. We hung around a bit, but no one appeared and so we decided to head into the Chinese theater where we went upstairs to the deck and had a decent view of the action below.

We spent a lot of time wandering around. There were shops and restaurants and a decent view of the famous Hollywood sign which I Googled to read about, and discovered that a caretaker once lived in a cottage behind one of the "L's". It is now owned by the city and is part of Griffith Park.

We kept going back to check the premiere for arrivals, but no one seemed too eager to arrive. We saw people, but had no idea who was important and who wasn't. Eventually hunger got the best of us and we had dinner on the upper deck at a Johnny Rockets. When we came out we had missed the arrival of most of the important people, but I did get to see one of the actresses, Rebecca Hall, who was quite chatty with reporters despite the closing of the doors to the theatre. Of course, I had no idea who Rebecca Hall was, and still don't even after reading about her.

We moved on as the movie began and the sidewalk opened back up. We went into the forecourt of the Chinese Theater where 200 movie stars left their imprints; feet, hands, and signatures. I wondered how the stars were chosen to be immortalized in the cement as the variety went from the stars of the 1930's to those of today.

The streets were lined with people dressed in various costumes charging to have a photo taken with them. There was a Minion, Minnie Mouse, Tinkerbell, and movie characters. I wasn't paying much attention as I was reading the names of the stars as I walked. I went right past what I thought was a statue, and he scared the hell out of me when he moved and made noise.

I stood and watched him awhile waiting for Tom (in the background there) to walk past him. He finally did and the statue didn't move. Tom wandered on and the statue turned to me and showed me his cup was empty. I felt bad at not putting something in it since my nephew played a statue for cash once, but instead I bought some water from his handler.

Outside of the Theater was Madame Tussauds, but the prices were crazy. I was taking a photo of Johnny Depp who seemed to be staring right at me at the entrance, and while I was doing that Tom was wheeling and dealing with the girl at the gate. She fell for his charm and let us all in for half price.

What a fascinating place. Figures made of wax that take hours, days, weeks, and months to complete. We were allowed to interact with the figures, but we weren't allowed to touch their faces. Some where eerily real while others needed more work to convince me. What was really crazy was that after awhile you thought real people were statues and statues real people. 

We left the wax museum and continued walking. It was getting dark and so we decided we would cross the street and walk down the opposite side to see what we had missed. We got as far as the El Capitan Theatre and were stopped. The premiere was letting out and the blocks were once again back up making it impossible for us to continue. We joined the crowd and then the fun began.