Who knew?

So I have discovered something very unpleasant:
Eating desserts every night (yes I meant for desserts to be plural) + eating whatever you want for b,l,d - exercise = weight gain!
Go figure.

I am not usually a sweets girl and I am snobby about the baked goods I do eat (I only eat baked from scratch, and cut and bake don't count.) Generally that keeps me in check because so many people bust out the packaged cookies. Not this year. I now have too many friends who are excellent bakers.

Welcome to the vicious cycle:

My clothes have not been fitting quite right, which makes me annoyed. To not obsess over how tight everything is I go to my fat pants and the pants with elastic waistbands (think Old Navy sleep pants), which allow me to forget how unpleasantly tight my real clothes are as I shove another snickerdoodle in my mouth. Not good.

I have said it before and I will say it again: I will never again eat in elastic! Maybe I should write a diet book, "Don't eat in elastic and other tips from Val?"

Hope you are all coming down from your sugar highs.

The Great Cranberry Shortage of 2006

After a lovely day spent strolling around Belmont Shores and watching Stella romp at the dog beach, Tommy and I headed home and discussed our Christmas plans.

We had decided to stay in LA after a vague unvitation from my parents, "don't feel like you have to come back to Virginia every year." Our plan was to skip the traditional meal (especially since I am a vegetarian) and celebrate Christmas as my mom's side of the family would, Twin Dragons Chinese Restaurant.

The only problem is that Twin Dragons' food is well, not delicious. We reassessed. When Erin left she gave me a box of unopened stuffing. It was a sign. I would cook dinner. We would keep it simple:
Stuffing, cranberry Sauce, corn Bread, Pillsbury "Crescent" rolls (nasty but tasty), green beans, corn and a turkey leg for Tommy.

I thought it would be a quick in and out at Whole Foods. Wrong. They were out of Cranberries. We headed to Gelsons. They were out too,as was the Whole Foods on 3rd, Ralphs on 3rd, Ralphs on Hauser, Erewon and Trader Joes. Luckily my schnazzy Treo saved us from actually going ot most of the stores, but we did hit 4 of them.

Cranberry sauce is my favorite. FAVORITE. Christmas dinner is not Christmas dinner without it.

I ended up with Whole Foods' cranberry sauce in a can, both the jelly kind and the whole kind. I am trying to stay open-minded about it, but part of me wants to pack it it and hit the Mu Shu.

Podcast of our first radio interview!

Val & I had a blast as guests on Carol Allen's "Enlightening Relationships." In the New Year, we'll be adding a section to the site permanently for press, but in the meantime, check it out by clicking on the title of this entry, and let us know what you think.

Happy holidays from Val & I. Just remember that December is prime engagement time and be prepared for those "I've Got Big News" January calls. The Bridal Wave is released Jan. 2 and should be in major bookstores near you mid-January. And for those of you in L.A., pick up a copy at Kitson Boutique.

Ten Things I Love About Los Angeles

1. You can drive around in the car at night, bawling your eyes out, and no one knows.
2. You can walk into one of the best restaurants in town with no reservation, sidle up to the bar, and get amazing Steak Frites with no wait.
3. The 3rd St. Christmas walk, wherein you get drunk on all the free wine and goodies and buy completely random things at 10% off. (One exception: the cashmere tights from Hillary Rush that are going to change my life in NYC this winter.)
4. Runyon Canyon in the middle of the week when you're dog-sitting.
5. Trails in Griffith Park for the pie.
6. Hollywood Forever.
7. The back patio at The Coffee Table, because it has no wireless and forces me to work for hours.
8. Burbank Airport.
9. Karuna Yoga and Bahn Sabai massage.
10. My friends.
Especially the ones with pools.

Sad farewell

Tonight I said goodbye to Erin, who is heading back to her real life in NYC. Thanks to an amazing stroke of luck, I got to spend all of 2006 with her, working on The Bridal Wave.

Not to get all mushy but I want to take a moment to say how much I am going to miss her in my life. I have never been one to have a lot of friends, just a few close ones, and Erin is definitely at the top of that list. We have been close for about 15 years and have been through so much together: adjusting to life 3000 miles away from home, moving to Japan, good relationships, bad relationships, personal loss, just so much.

I love the Brownie saying (and if it did not originate with the Brownies I apologize:) Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. I have made some new, great friends here, but you just can't beat someone who has known you since your unfortunate "love sees no color" t-shirt days.

Bon Voyage ET.
-Val

Back in action!!

For over a week now we have been in blogger purgatory, stuck between the new and old blogger, unable to post. We are thrilled to be back in action!! More to come soon!

Stop Here. Get Spouse. A Christmas Story

One Christmas after I opened presents from my mom, she turned to me and said, “And your boyfriend’s bringing something special, too.” My aunt, like a great white smelling fresh blood, made a beeline across the room. “Is it a ring? Do you think it’s a ring? What if it’s a ring?” she said, looking expectantly back and forth at my mother and me. Now, we had been together a little over a year and things were going well but marriage? That was crazytalk. Of course he wasn’t proposing. I told her she was nuts and went on setting the table.

But privately I felt nausea and a creeping dread. Other thoughts and emotions were taking over. Shock: Oh my god, what if she’s right? Could she be right? Then horror: Would he really just ask me even though we had never discussed it? I was terrified and sad that if this was it—a proposal—it was not at all how I wanted it to be, so what could that possibly mean for us? Proposing in front of the gaping stares of my entire nosey family? My teasing brothers? Without ever talking to me about marriage? WHO DID HE THINK HE WAS? I wasn’t prepared to answer. I hadn’t even thought about it. Now I was outraged—a thought process and range of emotions that took all of about 60 panic-stricken seconds to complete.

Thankfully I never verbalized this 0-60 silent freakout, since he later showed up with a gift certificate from my favorite Manhattan nail salon that my mom had coordinated with him to get.

Ah, the holidays. If you're single, you're going to be interrogated about why that's so. If you're dating, you're going to be interrogated about whether or not he's proposing.

Right on George Clooney!

Because I am too cheap to buy magazines, I have to rely on my friend's sloppy seconds. Luckily, they buy them like mad.

So I just read the George Clooney Sexiest Man Alive People Magazine and was thrilled to hear what he had to say about marriage.

People Mag: You told Barbara Walters back in 1995 that, "I'll never marry again." Have you changed your mind?

George: ......."The truth is, I'm really happy. People always go, "Aren't you afraid of being alone or dying alone?" And I just go, "I've also been in relationships where I've been shockingly alone." I don't agree with the idea that you have to have that or it's a failed life. I've been my most happy and my most unhappy in relationships. I have family and friends and people I care very much about. I've got a really, really good life."

Well said. In the Bridal Wave, we stress that getting married is not "winning" in the game of life. Having a spouse is certainly not a happiness guarantee. I'm glad that George is getting the word out. Oh, and he is is super hot. Sorry, had to add that.

Heidi Klum Christmas carol Wonderland

Thanks for sending this my way, Megan. I like the WOAH-Oh-OH bit the best.

"Big Day" is no "Bridezillas"

From the NY Times, December 3, 2006: “Big Day,” a riff on reality shows like “Bridezillas” on WE television, takes a minute-by-minute look at a couple’s wedding day, including a blow-up when the bride learns that her mother has conspired with the wedding planner to serve baby lettuce with pear vinaigrette over the “simple” Caesar salad she wants.

From me: Um, I totally disagree about Big Day being a riff on shows like "Bridezillas." Or if it is a riff, it sucks. Bridezilla's is awesome television viewing. Is there anything better than seeing a bride scream at her wedding party?

More from the NY Times article: Josh Goldsmith, an executive producer of “Big Day,” said, “At the time you really believe the kind of salad you eat at your wedding is a life-or-death issue.” He added, “All of the stupid little arguments that you have are really just stand-ins for the big emotions you are really feeling.”

From me: Mr. Goldsmith's show is not being too subtle about trying to illustrate his point. When the daughter threw a fit about her salad she basically said that it is really about her making her own decisions. The characters are all caricatures (immature fiance, momzilla, sis who is so bummed about being the single sis that she sleeps with the best man).

Bridezilla shows real women who act in ways that we only hear about. Getting a peak inside the lives of tragically misbehaved women is pure telenirvana.