Getting Ooooooold...

I know, I know - I'm supposed to be on a blogging vacation.

Well, I just can't help myself. I have 20 minutes left in my lunch break, and instead of knocking out my latest Business Watch column, all I can think about is this post that's been swirling around in my mind.

I'm telling you - blogging = crack.

Anyways, today is my friend/boss Michael's 30th birthday. (See, told you you'd end up in the blog!) For a while now, he's been lamenting turning the big 3-0, mourning how that makes him infinitely older than he was a day ago.

I laugh, but aging has been on my mind a lot lately - see, I'm precisely four years and three days younger than Michael, which means that my 26th birthday is rolling around in - yay, you can count! - three days.

I don't know why, but 26 just seems so... well... adult.

At 25, you're really recognized as a bonafide adult - able to rent a car without ridiculously exorbitant fees, paying cheaper car insurance (well, if you started driving at 16, which I didn't - so much for that perk!), and you are officially kicked off any parents' insurance and such (if you were on them in the first place).

For whatever reason, though, 26 sounds so much more mature. By the age of 26, I figured I'd be a "real" adult - or, at least, that I'd feel like it a little more. I once asked my septugenarian grandmother if you ever hit a point in life where you feel "grown up" a few years ago, though - and she said no, you don't. So much for that idea!

Still - it blows me away when I realize that I've been out of college for 3 1/2 years. That I've had a professional career for that long. That my mother had a 5 year old and a 3 year old by this age. That my 10-year high school reunion is a mere two years away (need any help planning, Aubrey?), and that I've been friends with my high school besties for half my life now. Craziness!

But, that being said, why is getting older such a bad thing? I guess some people see it as a loss of youth and beauty. That doesn't worry me so much as the loss of opportunities, wondering if I misstepped somewhere along the path. Then again, I think there's always room to learn and grow from our hiccups, and I know that I'm sure glad I've aged and grown from the person I was 5, 10 years ago.

I don't know why aging looked down upon so much in our society, anyways. It's so frowned upon, spawing a multimillion (multibillion?) dollar industry to erase all signs of aging. The elderly are put out to pasture, so often disregarded as out of step instead of honored for the steps they've traversed over the years. Age leads to wisdom, maturity and perspective. I am so, so grateful to be able to glean from the life experience (and mistakes) of my parents, my grandmother, my leaders.

So, here's to getting older. Grumbling won't stop the clock - and I'd rather wrinkle my face with laugh lines, not frown lines. :)

P.S. - Good news! I just heard from my taxpayer advocate that I did, indeed, win my year-long battle with the IRS, and I'll soon get back my $204 plus interest. Yippee!!! I feel so empowered - it's like, if you can beat the IRS, you can beat anything, y'know?

Blogaholics Anonymous

Hello, my name is Christa, and I am a blogaholic.

Seriously, blogging has gotten soooo addictive lately! Whether I'm blogging about fabulous classic movies or reading friends' awesome blogs (with the amazing Google Reader), I just can't seem to get enough of the blogosphere these days. It's so danged compelling!

In fact, it's been so addictive that my non-online life is suffering at the moment. Between rolling into work at 7 a.m. this week, getting home about 12 hours later, only to fix dinner and hang in my roommate's room to accomodate her puppy I'm dog-sitting, well, I'm in desperate need of getting stuff done, like packing for my awesome Arizona trip and baking the Pioneer Woman's tasty yogurt-marmalade cake. (Do you hear that? That sweet, gentle whispering? It's the kitchen, calling my name...)

So, I'm going to have to take a mini-vacation from blogging. No worries - I'll be back Labor Day, ready to blog with a vengeance!

(And, in the meantime, do check out cinemabychrista.blogspot.com - I just did analyzed Meet John Doe, the first of many films about which I plan to blog. And I hope to get better at it, too.)

Photos Galore

And by "galore," I don't mean I will be posting tons of photos. Just discussing them.

My hard drive on my laptop is being funky monkey, which meant that I had to make a mad dash to back up all of my info onto my flash drive. It's only 2GB, so that also required some hurried de-duping of my photos to make room for my latest pics.

The upside? My photos have never been so organized! I enjoyed a stroll down memory lane going through the folders, stumbling across old pics like the one above (even if it did eat up my lunch break). That shot was the day I had my interview for this job, incidentally.

The downside? I think digital photos have complicated our lives. Seriously. There's less tangible stuff - but, then again, there's more upkeep.

Oh well. At least my photos are safe for now.

I'm Not a Musician - But I Play One on TV!

What happens when you mix a Bachelor, a few Heroes, a guy who's Lost, a Desperate Housewife and a plumber, plus Chuck, a doctor, and his intern in the House?


Why, you get Band from TV, which is what it sounds like: a cover band composed of TV actors who play for nonprofit causes in their spare time.

Netflix sponsored their latest show a couple of weeks ago, and when I got the invite from Netflix, there was no way I wasn't going!!! TV? Music? Classic television episodes afterward? All in the lawn of the Gene Autry National Center, a hop-skip-and-jump away from my childhood stomping grounds? What's not to love?!

My friend Laura and I made record time driving to L.A. and snagged some pretty good seats on the lawn about an hour before the show got started.


Taking to the stage that evening were Band from TV regulars James Denton (Desperate Housewives), Jesse Spencer (House), Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Alias), Bob Guiney (The Bachelor, TLC's Date My House), Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives, Lois and Clark), and accomplished musicians Chris Kelley, Barry Sarna, Jon Sarna, Chris Mostert and child-star turned bass player Brad Savage (The Apple Dumpling Gang). The usual band was joined for the evening by Hugh Laurie (House), Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Zach Levi (Chuck), Adrian Pasdar (Heroes) and Jorge Garcia (Lost).

Here they are, pre-show - can you spot Greg Grunberg in a black tee in the middle?

Oh, and in the crowd? Hayden's boyfriend/costar, Milo Ventimiglia, snapping pictures like the best of the paparazzi. Not gonna lie - I was totally starstruck, watching him and Hayden - my favorite Heroes - as they chatted to the side of the stage. They were too cute!

I have to say, I was pretty impressed with Band from TV, too - they were actually great! Lucky for you, some fellow audience members uploaded footage to YouTube. Now you can check out the Band from TV goodness from the concert. Let's start with the official footage of the opening number:



Oh, and here's my pic from that number - yep, I ran up and was that close!

Man, they rocked! Jesse Spencer can play the fiddle like none other. His rendition of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" was spectacular - listen for yourself!




Did you see the blurry white line to the right of the big screen behind the band? They hung a little Hollywood sign that would look natural on camera as Netflix filmed. I had to laugh - the real deal is on the other side of the mountain, and anyone who knows L.A. would know you can't see it from this side of Griffith Park!

At one point, James Denton slipped out of his white oxford and busted out "Papa Loves Mama," showing off his bulging biceps in a grey tank. Yah. Hot.

Here's a "The Letter" with Bob Guiney and Zach Levi, who both have impressively great voices - and can you spot Adrian Pasdar playing bass on the left?



Wow, and can Hugh Laurie ever play piano?! Here he is on "Such a Night":



The only star who was a bit of a low note was Teri. Props to her for making the time to be part of the band - but, besides wearing a scandalously short dress... well... let me put it this way: when Bob Guiney, who did most of the emceeing, remarked "What can't that woman do?" - Laura and I, in unison, responded "Sing?" Yeah. Judge for yourself:



She wasn't too bad on fast songs like "Before He Cheats," but oh - no more ballads for Teri. Don't quit your day job, hon.

After the show, Netflix aired several classic TV episodes on a huge inflatable screen - School House Rocks election bits played between episodes of The Cosby Show, Mary Tyler Moore and a few other shows. It was such a fun night!!!

Many thanks to Laura, who came along for the fun on a perfect summer night (and provided cameras, since mine's battery was dead). Seriously, it's great happenings like that (and the weather, too) that make me so, so glad I live in SoCal!

Gotta Love a Little Flair!

Today I discovered a wonderful Facebook application: "Pieces of Flair."

It's basically buttons (a la "Office Space," where waitress Joanna had to wear 15 at a minimum)...

... only you stick these digital chotchkies in a corkboard - and it's so much more entertaining, since you can send buttons to people! My roomie Dawn and I had too much fun with this today, sending each other some fabulous pieces of flair.

Here are some close ups of my flair board - can you pick out all of the elements that are just too Christa-esque?

If you're on Facebook, add some flair. It's a winner!

Did I Just Email Arianna Huffington? Really?!

For my maaaahvelous job at Maples, I'm on the Toshiba America "green" account. It's pretty awesome, because we're basically starting from scratch, promoting Toshiba's (phenomenal, if I do say so myself) eco-friendly efforts.

Among my current tasks is to set up a media tour for TAI's director of environmental affairs, the corporate comms VP and some other execs in NYC and DC next month. Today I sent out the meeting requests to a list of reporters and editors for all of the major national media outlets.

One e-mail address I didn't notice in the list: Arianna Huffington.

Until I got an out-of-office reply - and went, "Holy crap, SERIOUSLY?! I e-mailed Arianna Huffington?!"

For those of you unaware of Arianna, she's a nationally syndicated political columnist, author and the founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post, a leading left-wing online news and commentary website/blog. She's the ex-wife of a former oilman billionaire/congressman -- and she ran as an independent against Schwarzenegger in the recall election. She was on TIME's 2006 list of the 100 most influential people - speaking of, here's a Q&A she did with TIME.

So, overall, generally a household name. Or at least on the radar screen.

And not someone you get an e-mail from every day. Even if it's just an automated response.

Phoenix Phun with the Pink (House) Ladies

This Labor Day weekend I will be soaking in some hot desert sun with some of my favorite gals in Phoenix.

I am sooooo thrilled!!! This will be the first Pink House reunion since, well, the girls still lived in the Pink House! Hayley, Tina and Brittny are three of my favorite roommates EVER. Brittny and Tina had already been roomies for a year at University Villa before I moved in for my senior year at BYU, taking my cousin's new wife's spot in the apartment. Hayles was roommates with my bestie, Karen, upstairs, and when summer came, Tina, Hayley and I moved into the Pink House a few blocks away while Britt went home for the summer.

I followed Karen to an apartment across town when Britt returned, but we all kept in touch despite scattering after our Provo days.



The last time I saw Brittny was when Tina and I were bridesmaids in her wedding to our friend Casey (and they now have a 15-month-old boy, so it's been a while!)...
... and March 2007 was the last time I saw Tina and Hayley on a Utah trip.
These days Tina works in the great outdoors in southeastern Utah, Brittny is a mommy in Tucson and Hayley is in Houston for the summer before heading back to grad school in London. Weekend after next, however, the four of us will congregate in good ol' Phoenix for some fun (and my birthday!).
Soooo... any suggestions of the best things to do, the best places to eat, etc.? I've never been to Phoenix; my travel agenda is a blank slate. If you have some good ideas, I'm all ears!

*sigh!* Writing this post makes me miss these girls more than EVER!!! We had way, way too many good times together. I'll have to scan some archive pics. In all the years since I left home I've had plenty o' roommates, but I gotta say, these ladies are in my top 5! I can't wait to see you girls!!!

Need to Flee the Government?

Don't you love when your conversations bleed into your dreams at night?

Last night, at dinner with a group of fabulous friends, we were chatting about Facebook, and one of the guys said that he refused to join Facebook for a while because he was worried that Al Qaeda would find him.

No joke.

He also mentioned how Big Brother-ish Google Maps was getting, too - just another tool for the terrorists to track people down.

Now, I can't think of why our dear Johnny would be among Al Qaeda's most wanted - or even on their radar, really - but apparently this conversation stuck with me more than I'd supposed!

Last night, close to dawn, I totally dreamed that Al Qaeda was after ME, and I had to flee the country. I came up with an elaborate scheme to go into hiding in London, much thanks to the help of my stylist roommate (to, you know, change my haircolor to mask my identity), a friend's father with legal genius (to get me the necessary paperwork), an old roommate in London (with whom I'd chatted last night, naturally) and a private jet. Connections can come in awfully handy in espionage dreams!

The hardest part of the whole thing, though, was keeping my mouth shut - surprise, surprise - and being able to escape without saying goodbye. Seriously, that would be so sad!!!

No joke, I was sad to have to leave my blog and Facebook alone - in my dream, I made another Facebook with my assumed identity and then became friends with myself so I could monitor my friends from afar. Yeah. I'm pretty Type A about details, even in my dreams. :)

So, I'm glad I don't have to leave you all without a word. I'm also quite glad that I don't have to go on the lamb, either - and from a major terrorist organization, no less. That would pretty much suck.

"Pip"pin It

My, how the Pips have changed!



And, for the record - how is RD, Jr., so much hotter in his 40s than he was in his 20s or 30s? Sobriety has been goooood to him! Ow ow!

Klutz Gene Strikes Again!

In my family we joke about a "klutz gene" - after all, I come from a long line of people who can manage to trip over thin air. It's a gift.

Well, I seemed to inherit a double portion of the aforementioned klutz gene! It's pretty ridiculous.

This week I've had two painfully klutzy run-ins. First there was the freak head injury to smacking my head on my car while trying to avoid scratching the door on Tuesday. Yesterday a very full water bottle fell out of my purse and onto my instep while getting out of the car. No biggie, right? It hurts!!!

Now, I don't post this to whine. Instead, I want to hear your klutzy stories! Post them in the comments.

(Please tell me other people do such clumsy things as getting a concussion by walking into a pole or tearing ligaments in their ankles while playing ultimate frisbee. Anyone?)

Institute Idol!

Another fun happening this summer was the third-annual Institute Idol, the Mission Viejo Insitute of Religion's annual talent show.

I'm proud to say I'm a third-year contestant... although how willing of a contestant I've been has varied. My first year I sang "Popular" from Wicked - but alas, I was a little ahead of the Wicked craze, so the song was mostly unfamiliar to the crowd, and I was left feeling mortified!

Truth be told, I've had a bit of stage fright ever since. Solos petrify me! So when II rolled around last summer, I balked at being a part of the show. But alas, our dear Institute director Bro. Greiner coaxed me into taking the stage, and I did a good rendition of "When I Fall in Love" that my roommate/accompanist and I pulled together the night before.

Well, this year, knowing BG wouldn't let me out of the show, I began prepping a song with Laura a solid month in advance. We performed "Defying Gravity," the show-stopping finale from Wicked's first act.

This time around, the show went sooooo well!!! I wasn't scared at all, the crowd was into it (many thanks to my cheering sections scattered throughout the audience!) - altogether it was just plain fun.

I didn't take top honors, but Bro. Greiner told me after the show that I was merely a single vote behind the third-place winner. Not bad, considering that most of the performers and audience came from the Saddleback Ward, so I didn't know them, and the crowd wasn't filled with Broadway babies!

Here I am with Tristen, my self-proclaimed No. 1 fan.

We've got some serious talent in the Institute!!! Here are some shots:

Speaking of 4th of July...

So, I never did blog about the 4th of July, did I?

Well, in the spirit of catching up, here are my photos that pretty much tell the story (sorry for the lame timestamps!). As an introduction, I was blessed to celebrate Independence Day at not one but two delightful parties hosted by my friends and their families.

Before the parties, Heather (with whom I spent the entire 4th - check out her blog post about it here) and I went to see Hancock, which I enjoyed - although it was NOTHING like what I'd expected! Such a crazy, The Sixth Sense-esque twist... but I enjoyed the acting, even though it got tons of mixed reviews. (And, of course, who doesn't love Jason Bateman?!)

Anyhoo, after the movie, Heather and I headed over to our friend Jenna's annual neighborhood block party in Laguna Hills. What a blast! We showed up just in time for the traditional balloon fight (but, unfortunately, we lacked the proper attire to join in the fun).

I adore Jenna!!! She's such a sweetheart. I'll miss having her around when she goes back to the Y. Her parents are amazing, too! Many thanks for their generosity. Here are some fun shots, courtesy of Heather:

After a few hours of hanging out and dining on some tasty burgers, Heather and I headed to the famed Villa de Hazy for some fun, friends, (more) food and... of course... fireworks!

Many thanks to Steve and his parents' generosity as well in having us all over. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Yet again - more photos. I spent most of my evening there playing photographer, goofing off with (and hiding behind) my new camera. Enjoy!

Eating Like a Kid Again

When I think of the term "kid's meal," my mind conjures up the image of a lukewarm, nasty cheeseburger accompanied by a smidgen of french fries and some sort of toy resembling the latest stars of animation, all wrapped up in a brightly colored cardboard box that's covered in puzzles and fun.

Even as a child, I didn't like ordering off the kid's menu. It's McNasty.

After all, I've always had adventurous tastebuds, so if I'm at a restaurant, the last thing I want to order is a PBJ or some tasteless, bland noodley creation.

Well, recently I've had a change of heart. Did you know that adults can get away with ordering kid's meals at such fine eateries as Outback or Corner Bakery? It's the best deal I've found in a while. Outback offers a Joey sirloin that's a perfectly portioned little steak plus one side. Tack on a side salad, and with tax and tip, you're still looking at less than the cheapest steak meal would cost pre-tax for just a little less meat.

Corner Bakery one-ups the offering by pretty much allowing you to order any adult pasta or salad in a kid's portion (which, believe you me, is plenty!), complete with a drink and your choice of a cookie or fruit. I gotta thank Scotty and Amanda for discovering this one. It's soooo much cheaper than going for the grown-up options, but it's every bit as tasty!

Adult portions are ridiculously huge anyway. Do you know of any other places that offer a good kid's meal? Tell me in the comments! I think this is the beginning of a beautiful quest - I'm opting for the kid's meal wherever I can!

Except for fast-food joints. Bleck. I get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about the BK Kid's Club.

Love that Google Analytics!

If you blog, you seriously have to sign up for Google Analytics.

What, you ask, is Google Analytics? It's a fantastic, FREE analytics program that tells you how many people are visiting your blog, how long they stay, where they're coming in from (both on the Web and geographically), etc. I loooove it! It's only updated once daily - but I look forward to checking my analytics every day to see how the blog's doing on viewership.


Since I started tracking my blog one month ago today, I can tell you that I've had 400 page views, 65 percent of which have come from referring sites (Facebook, links from other blogs). Most of the views have come from the U.S., but there have been four views from Canada and one each from Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Kenya (which is kind of puzzling, honestly). You can even track it by city (well, area) - most are from Irvine and Provo (duh, no surprise there) but there are a ton of cities listed where I can't think of anyone I know living or visiting there!

Honestly, it's such a little ego boost! I feel all warm and fuzzy, a la Sally Field's "You like me - you really like me" Oscar speech, when I see that 30, 40 people have visited the blog on any given day. It's cool, too, to see how my traffic has really increased during the last week, as I've actually started blogging consistently. It's so fun!

Oh, and speaking of blogging... I launched my Christa on Classic Cinema blog during the weekend - cinemabychrista.blogspot.com. I'll post at least a couple times a week on my latest classic cinema finds. It's pretty minimal now, but stay tuned for more. This is one where the analytics will come in handy - I've kept this personal blog out of search engines and such, but the film one I want to publicize. It's my little, grassroots shot of fulfilling my dream of being a film historian. Leonard Maltin and Robert Osborne, watch out!

Hamlet - Facebook style

A friend of mine posted the link to this on Facebook, and I thought it was pretty hilarious. It might be too small to view, but if you click on the pic, it'll open to full size.

What can I say? Facebook just does make everything simpler! If you're not a member yet, you really should join. And add me as a friend, of course! :)

Let the (Olympic) Games Begin!

Hooray for the Olympics!!!

I love, love, love the Olympic Games. Sports are soooo not my thing, but the Olympics represent something greater. It's the one time the entire world comes together to celebrate the possibilities of individuals who devote themselves to achieving their best. There's something so cool about how the Olympics transcend class, race, language and just about every other social barrier that separate us from one another as human beings.

BEIJING - AUGUST 08: The Olympic flag and the Chinese national flag fly during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Plus when else would athletes from less obscure sports like curling or speed skating get to take the spotlight? (Mmmmm, Apolo Anton Ohno - did anyone else have a thing for him during the Salt Lake City games?)

What's your favorite Olympic event? I'd have to say my top two are ice skating and gymnastics. Maybe that's because they're not all sporty, having more in common with dance than anything involving a ball.

Share your favorite Olympic memory in the comments section!

Oh, speaking of Olympics... did I ever mention my 11-year-old sister is a competitive archer? Here's a fun profile on her. She and my parents have been in Colorado Springs for the junior nationals this week. Tessa's coach thinks she's got a real shot at making the London games - so let's hope I'll be blogging from London in four years!