Feb. 6, 2010

It looks like whoever stole Charlie's car also stole a Bentley and sent that down the canyon too. We heard helicopters hovering most of the day yesterday. It was a sad sight to see the fire fighters smashing the Bentley window to get inside (no driver). But it wasn't as sad as seeing all the homes coming down today in the mud slides. Right now (2 p.m.), almost a dozen homes have been lost and hundreds of others are at risk with mandatory evacuations. I drove on Mulholland Drive earlier today and this is what we face driving in the hills. I feel lucky that I only have leaks in the house.

Feb. 5, 2010

I woke up to the sound of helicopters overhead and with more rain coming today, I thought there might have been a mud slide, but that wasn't it. They were there because Charlie Sheen's car went over the side on Mulholland Drive and the news and paparazzi were flying overhead to get the story. Apparently, his car was stolen, Charlie was at home, but there was no one in the car. It went down a steep embankment, about 300 yards and I don't know how anyone could have walked away from it. I need to be somewhere this morning and Mulholland Drive is closed.

Jan. 31, 2010

I watched the Grammies tonight - well I was cooking and watched while I was cooking. I don't think I could ever sit through 3 1/2 hours of television. My favorite performance was Pink, not just that she was dangling and spinning with no net, but that she kept singing through it all. It was amazing! I baked egg bread and then made bread pudding with it... so good it was all I could do to leave some for tomorrow. Then I worked on my cookbook recipes. More rain is on the way but I'm ready this time, equipped with my new slicker, rubber boots, and sandbags. Oh, and I loved Lady Antebellum and the tribute to Les Paul. I remember when his music was on the radio in the 50s.

Jan. 27, 2010

What do we do with our sandbags? The fire department doesn't want them back and they're still wet - and heavy. I guess we'll wheelbarrow them around to the hill in back where all the deer roam. When I say "we" I mean the gardener but he's going to wait until they dry out a little. The good news is we never needed them after all because the rain didn't get that close to the back door. The sun was out today and the hummingbirds are back... and the bees. I stood under our flowering pear tree today and could hear hundreds of bees inside. Here's a picture of the tree.

Jan. 25, 2010

We went to see Avatar in 3-D tonight. It was really good but in my opinion, a little more violent than it needed to be. The visuals are really stunning. You watch and wonder, "How did they do that?"

Jan. 23, 2010

The sun is out! The endless rain finally stopped, although it did rain yesterday too. All seems to be well so far in Los Angeles. Last night four of us went to see Riverdance at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood and I loved it. We had dinner beforehand at Musso & Frank Grill. Everything is "a la carte" there - everything. $3.50 for salad dressing! This restaurant has been in Hollywood for almost 100 years, in fact Charlie Chaplin used to go there. Most of the waiters are old. I think I recognized one of them from the Last Supper. :o)

Jan. 21, 2010

Rain Report 4 p.m.: It rained the hardest today, sideways part of the time. But by dinner time, the rain stopped and it seems like the worst is over. It's still going to rain tonight, and tomorrow but not as heavy. Then the rain starts back up Monday... oh well. The city has had mud slides and rock slides and we'll see if the saturated hills hold up. So far, the mud slides have not taken down any houses, probably thanks to all the sandbags and K-rails everyone put up to divert the flow. I miss my walks, so for exercise, I walked around the house, up and down the stairs. I can't wait to see the sun again.

Second Rain Report 11 p.m.: Just after I posted the entry above, it started raining really hard again. By the time we had dinner, there was lightening and thunder, and a few minutes later - hail and very strong winds. Around that time, there was another tornado, this time in Ventura, that lifted trees and seriously damaged some homes. Then after dinner, we heard helicopters hovering above the house. I couldn't believe they were flying in the strong winds, but it turns out a power pole came down on Mulholland Drive causing power outages close by. We're not done yet.

Jan. 20, 2010

Rain Report: We got pummeled again today. There was hail in Malibu, lightening at the beach, in fact 2 planes coming into Burbank were hit by lightening. The waves at the beaches were huge and dangerous. One person did try to surf but quit as fast as he started. There is mud rolling down the hills where most people have evacuated so I guess they'll watch the news to see if their homes got hit. Several schools are closed tomorrow and more trees have come down. We have water coming into the house in 5 places. The ground is very saturated right now and the biggest storm of them all - #4 - is coming tomorrow.

Jan. 19, 2010

Rain Report: We had a tornado today at Seal Beach. I couldn't believe it. It lifted an SUV off the ground and two boats out of the water. It also broke windows. This storm has also uprooted trees and a lot of cars were under water. On the news last night I saw that a 100-year-old tree fell on a house, and other trees fell on cars. So far no one has been hurt but there is lots of mud everywhere and some of our freeways are closed. It rained really hard today but the worst is still to come... on Thursday.

Jan. 18, 2010

Rain Report: It poured down hard most of the day with so much wind it was raining sideways. I went out to buy a rain slicker and rubber boots and driving along Mulholland, there were microwave-size boulders on the road as well as many smaller rocks and a tree that fell across the road. There were flooded areas all along the road so drivers were swerving to avoid either the rocks or the sitting water. It was a scary drive but I got my slicker so I could go out and check the drains around the house. Some were clogged with leaves and debris so I cleared them away and 20 minutes later, they were clogged again. I guess the water was flowing so fast, it kept picking up debris every time. Authorities have started evacuating people from the burn areas because if mud starts coming down, it can take a house with it. On the bright side, the roof's not leaking.

Jan. 17, 2010

We got sandbags yesterday and placed them across the back patio in anticipation of the deluge of rain that's coming. The fire stations are providing the bags and the sand for whoever needs it and since our backyard slopes toward the house, it seemed like the smart thing to do. We've never lived in this house during torrential rains but if we do get the 20 inches of rain predicted, who knows what could happen. I went grocery shopping and bought enough food for a week in case the roads aren't passable. The last time it rained like this about 10 years ago, part of Mulholland Drive collapsed and went down the hill so the road was closed. We live in the hills so with the extra food & water, we are covered if we can't get down the hill. It started raining at 1 p.m. this afternoon and it's still raining now (11 p.m.). There will likely be mud slides where the recent fires were. Everyone is anxious and hoping for the best.

Jan. 15, 2010

I posted some new Vintage Videos on the site. A lot of people email asking if that's really me on Press Your Luck (it is) which they always run on the Game Show Network and I finally found the video and posted it. I also found a funny JJ spoof featuring the late John Ritter, and there are two others: my guest appearances on sitcoms Getting By and Doogie Howser, M.D.. You'll see how good Neil Patrick Harris was even back then. Enjoy!

Jan. 12, 2010

Why did I have to be a girl? We have a wedding to go to next month and I still have nothing to wear. I've been out shopping the last three nights, I've bought two dresses, took them both back, just bought a third one tonight, but I'm leaving the tags on. I don't like dresses but the last wedding I wore pants (beautiful silk ones) and I was the only woman in pants, so now I need a dress, since I do not own one. Men just put on a tie and jacket or suit but it's not easy for women. Here's my dress dilemma: How long? Above or below the knee? Something frilly? Don't want to out-frill the bride. What about color? Will fuschia be too distracting? "Look at her trying to steal the spotlight!" Then black. Can't go wrong with basic black. Too morbid? Will it send a message that their marriage is doomed? What about a jacket? I might look like I stopped by the wedding on my way to a business seminar. What's the dress code? Even restaurants will tell you "upscale casual." It's just too stressful. I need to bake some cookies.

Jan. 8, 2010

Oops, I tripped and fell in the kitchen. My foot caught the edge of a runner which pushed the runner forward creating a hump ahead of me for a second trip and by then, there was no turning back. It happened quickly but I still felt like I was in slow motion, seeing the floor coming at me, knowing I couldn't stop it, and hoping nothing was going to break. The last time I fell was 20 years ago ice skating and I broke my shoulder, so this time as I was going down, I kept hoping no bones would break. And they didn't. But I do have bruises on my right hand, left knee, left elbow, and my back is sore, but no broken bones - yay!

Jan. 5, 2010

I ran errands most of the day. To get all my favorite things I had a lot of stops: The tea store for my favorite white organic tea; Whole Foods for the healthiest tortillas; Trader Joe's for yeast and high lycopene tomatoes; Bristol Farms for prunes; then I went to the mall just because I haven't been for ages. What is that smell at Restoration Hardware?

Jan. 2, 2010

What a fantastic way to start the new year. Denis and I had our morning tea (okay, it was noon) outside on the backyard patio! It was a beautiful day. We sat and watched the hummingbirds zoom over our heads and then guess what else zoomed over our heads? The fighter jets that flew over the Rose Parade yesterday - flew right over our house! It was so exciting!! We could hear them coming at first because they were very loud. Then two jets flew over, heading north-west. Then, about 10 minutes later, two more jets, loud and soaring high in the sky followed. I'll never forget it. Yesterday we had our annual Open House and I had visions of having a fire going in the fireplace with my Christmas tree all lit up, but it was 70 degrees so there was no fire. In fact, I had to turn on the a/c to cool the house down. Air conditioning in January? Nobody in New York should be reading this... don't hate me for living in California. If it makes you feel better, I had some ice buildup in the freezer.

Jan. 1, 2010

Happy New Year!!!

 

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