Celebratory Karaoke

What a fun Wednesday Night Karaoke at Gabe's last night!  I walked into a busy bar thanks to the Clipper's game but I knew everyone wasn't there for Karaoke but I also knew it was Lee's Birthday so that meant more people and lots of fun!

We got started around 9:30 pm because I wanted to make sure Lee got to sing a bunch because it was his Birthday and he had to leave around Midnight so Lee opened the night with Billy Joel's 'Just the Way You Are' while we got some ladies singing 'Goodbye Earl' and 'Proud Mary' bringing out their slick dance moves.  Art tried a new song singing 'Brown Eyed Girl' while Marty showed up and his new song for the night was Bon Jovi's 'Blaze of Glory.'  Lee's next song was 'That's Life' by Frank Sinatra and then he sang 'Something Like That' by Tim McGraw because it's one of my favorite songs to hear him sing!  Judy not only brought her lovely voice but also cupcakes and cake for Lee's Birthday which was so sweet!  Her first song of the night was Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots are Made for Walking.'  Marcus vamped it up doing Meatloaf's 'Two out of Three Ain't Bad' while Bob sang the Rolling Stones 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' and CC rocked out to Jefferson Airplane's hit 'Somebody to Love.'  As the bar filled up for Lee's Birthday we got another round of songs going and I sang 'You Know I'm No Good' by Amy Winehouse which I haven't sang in a while.  Marty sang another new song for the night doing 'I'll Be' by Edwin McCain to which Jamie came in after a long work-shift and sang 'On My Own' like she should have been playing Eponine in "Les Miserables."  Jamie also brought me wonderful drops of happiness called Bacon Cheddar Biscuits from Post in Manhattan Beach and I about dropped down in the corner with my excitement of the delicious treat!

Next up it was Birthday Cake and singing for Lee's Birthday from everyone in the bar which started a round of Duets.  He and Judy sang 'Bye Bye Love' by the Everly Brothers and that reminded me how much I really enjoy that song!  One guy who had never sang Karaoke before sang a Jon Secada song and did really well, impressive for a first-timer!  My new song of the night was Bryan Adam's 'Everything I Do, I Do it For You' since I just watched the "Robin Hood" with Kevin Costner.  It's one of my favorite movies!  I'll definitely sing the song again but raise the key for me, it's rare when a song is too low for me, but considering it's a guys song, that would make sense.  Next up was Marty singing 'More Than Words' and Jamie singing Alicia Keys while Judy did a great version of 'Walkin' After Midnight' originally sang by Patsy Cline.  Bob and Marcus did a duet before the night was over and as I said, the Duet's had begun because Marcus and I did 'Cruisin' which was awesome!  We hit all the harmonies and I love singing that song though it's never the same without my bestie, Mike Weiss.  Since it was a night of celebrations and dancing I sang 'Love You Like a Love Song' by Selena Gomez which was my new song last week; it's a little guilty pleasure!  Jamie and Marty closed out the night with plenty of applause after singing 'A Whole New World' from "Aladdin."

With so much great food, Birthday cake and Biscuits...lots to celebrate, Birthday's and Friends, it was an awesome night of Karaoke!  Bring it on next week :)

Acting Thoughts...

It came in the mail last week and I was so excited to see it...I finally got my SAG Card!  I feel like an Official Member of the Screen Actors Guild now and am so excited for the opportunities it will bring.  Next up is the SAG Awards at the end of January and as a Member of SAG I'll be getting all the screeners of the Nominee's so I can see all the performances and movies that are up for awards!  Even though I may just be one person, my opinion along with the other SAG-AFTRA members will make the decision for who wins Best Picture, Best Actor & Actress, Best Director, etc.

I was reading through a bunch of e-mails regarding Casting tips and information and I actually took some notes on Commercial Audition Techniques.  The one thing I have noticed since I joined the Union is that there's so much more Non-Union acting work on the Breakdowns and I can no longer submit for those jobs since I'm a SAG Member.  This only pushes me to get out and find an Agent so that I can be submitted for the Union jobs that aren't listed on the Breakdowns, but finding an Agent was always more difficult than it seemed.  Perhaps now that I'm a part of the Union I'll have a better chance of finding someone to represent me Theatrically and Commercially and I'll be working towards that full-force when I'm back from Christmas vacation as most of Hollywood shuts down in the month of December.

A lot of the tips in the article I have used in my own Auditions and they certainly bring confidence and have helped but there were other tips that I'm so excited to use at my next audition like 'Coloring the picture with adjectives to hi-light the product' or 'Demonstrating what life was like before and after the product'.  It's amazing how simple it seems but you get in that Audition room with the Casting Directors and on top of memorizing the script or scene, as nervous as you may be, you have to do all these things and more just to stand out from the crowd and bring yourself to the Audition.  One of my favorite things to do at Auditions is figure out the clearest way to get the product or scene across and then challenge myself to figure out other ways to do it, making it different from what everyone else is probably doing.  This way I'm setting myself a part from everyone else and giving the Director something different they may not have seen yet.  Sometimes you'll take that chance and it'll work and other times it won't be what they're looking for but at least you tried!

Another article I was reading talked about staying positive through it all and not letting negative thoughts affect you.  It's hard to be optimistic all the time when you're constantly bombarded with commercials that you think you might be perfect for or even commercials that you auditioned for you and you don't know why they hired the actress they did but you can't think like that.  I've learned I need to take what I gained from that experience and use that at my next audition, anything that can better help me in the future or parts I should work on and improve but be proud that I went in and did my best at that time!  Positive energy manifests itself and brings better things along and I can work my hardest but know that it'll happen because I am determined, creative, and well-prepared.

My New Year's Resolution was to write in my journal every day, write blogs that contain fun and important moments in my life along with creative happenings.  Since I recently created a portfolio that I bring with me to Auditions, I have started taking notes about the Auditions and also writing blog entries that will help me at future Auditions because I can look back on what I did that worked and what didn't.  It's important to keep these details along with Casting Information so that when I'm working with someone, I know who has brought me in for a Commercial or to read for a certain role.  I'm a huge believer in Thank You notes/e-mails, so after I Audition I usually send out a Thank You e-mail within a day because at the end of all of this, it's about networking, and creating lasting relationships with people you'll work with in the future!

So I'm soaking up all this new information, meeting people, talking about work, and am excited for the future and Acting work.  If I'm not Auditioning, that just means I need to create something myself, and I'll work hard to continue doing what I love :)

Thankful Karaoke

I've been dealing with an annoying cold this week but that wasn't going to stop me from Hosting Karaoke on Wednesday at Gabe's, the day before Thanksgiving.  We all have so much to be thankful for and I was thankful that I still had a voice, a job where I can be creative, and awesome people to make the night special!

As I waited for the Laker Game to finish up, I got Karaoke ready, and saw that we were going to have a pretty good night because we had lots of people waiting to get started!  I opened with 'Because the Night' by the 10,000 Maniacs since I needed a song that was a little bit lower for my voice, and Marcus got the night going with 'Hey Jude' and vamped the last 4 minutes of the song, doing the nearly 8 minute version.  Lee kept it country throughout the night, singing Brad Paisley, and then doing a couple Bobby Darin hits.  Marty stopped by and of course, even with me having a cold, wasn't going to stop him from getting Amy, him and I, shots.  Thankfully, we got Orange Kamikaze's and I was able to get a little Vitamin C from the Orange juice!  We had a couple singers that don't come in very often in for the night, a newly engaged couple that were singing Joan Jett and The Kinks.  

The night went on with new singers and new songs, a little Bell Biv Devoe, by one of the girls from the Birthday Party and 'Alone' by another lovely lady.  Marty's new song for the night was 'Wanted Dead or Alive' by Bon Jovi, while I did a little back-up, and he also sang 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls, which was another new song.  My new song of the night was 'Love You Like A Love Song' by Selena Gomez which was actually a lot of fun and I'll be excited to sing it again when I have some friends visiting me at work.  Marcus kept up with another 8 minute song doing 'Dead Man's Party' by Oingo Boingo while one of my old Friday Night Karaoke regulars sang 'Do You Remember The Time' by Michael Jackson and also sang 'Creep' by Radiohead.  Marty had the whole room singing along to 'More Than Words' while I had the ladies dancing during 'These Boots Are Made For Walking.'  Marty and I closed out the night with a little duet of 'Need You Now' by Lady Antebellum and I was happy to have had a great Karaoke night before the Thanksgiving Holiday!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, had plenty to be thankful for, and enjoyed lots of great food.  I'm thankful for Family, Friends, Football, and Food...the 4 F's of Thanksgiving :)  And now it's on to the Christmas Season with Holiday Music and Carol's, gift-giving and shopping, baking, and Christmas Cards.  Happy Holiday's Everyone!

What's for Dinner? Part 10.

It's Tater Tot Hot Dish!  My best friend, Sarah, from College, used to make this on occasion for our Girl's Night's where we'd have a yummy meal, watch movies, and have wine coolers...we were pretty darn classy in College ;)  Anyway, it's been a while since I had it, and I thought it the perfect comfort food since I have a cold and its been chilly outside!

Tater Tot Hot Dish

1 Package Tater Tots

1 lb Lean Ground Sirloin (or Ground Beef)

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Can Corn

1 Can Green Beans

Salt & Pepper

Seasonings

Shredded Cheese (of your choice)

Look at those Tots!

At the grocery store I picked up Ground Sirloin because it was leaner than the ground beef and was also on sale!  So first, I browned the Sirloin, adding in salt and pepper, garlic salt, and some steak seasoning to taste.  I didn't have any Worcestershire or Steak Sauce, otherwise, I would have added that in when I was cooking the Sirloin because it makes it more juicy and flavorful.  Then, I drained the meat and put that in the bottom of a 9x13 pan that I had sprayed with cooking spray.  Next, I drained both cans of vegetables and spread my corn and green beans over the meat.  You could use 2 cups of fresh or frozen vegetables but being sick, I went the easiest route possible.  Then, I spread each can of soup over my Sirloin and vegetables and topped that with rows of Tater Tots.  Normally, I'd cook this in a baking dish, so you'd probably only use half a bag of Tater Tots but because I didn't have one available I used a 9x13 pan and had lots of Tots!  Lastly, I baked it (uncovered) at 350 for 45 minutes making sure the Tots were golden brown and crispy.  Let it sit for a minute or two before serving because it's going to be very hot.

Tater Tot Hot Dish

This was my version of Tater Tot Hot Dish as I know there are many out there and it's pretty hard to mess up a casserole, but I liked all the vegetables and it wasn't soupy at all, just creamy.  You can add your favorite Cheese as soon as you're ready to serve it and it gives it another element of creaminess.  For mine (not pictured with cheese), I used a Cheddar, Jack, and Mozzarella blend.  The Tots cooked perfectly and were actually crispy when biting into them and you had a Tot for every bite and I love my Tots.  If using this large a pan I would add in more meat because I felt like I was missing out on that, and you could make it even healthier by using Ground Turkey.  If there's one thing I learned from making Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving last year, you don't use Fat Free Cream of Anything soup, there's a major flavor difference, so you have to go for the flavor and not worry about the fat.  It's meant to be a comfort food, and I had 2 servings and was perfectly full.  It was easy to prep, you let it cook for 45 minutes and it's done.  Plus, it's great as leftovers!

Now...Eat your Tots!

Karaoke Wednesday

I love Hosting Karaoke when I have a bunch of friends in because it makes the shift that much more fun and when I haven't seen people in a while and didn't know if they sang or not, it makes for an interesting and exciting night!

Jamie and Spark were the first to arrive, ready to sing, and started the night going with me.  There was Pool League so we had a couple additional people that I hadn't seen before but gave us some time between singing.  After opening the night and testing the sound and microphones, Jamie was up to sing; she sang 'Creep' by Radiohead with Spark following her singing 'Otherside' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  I always forget about that song and I was glad that Spark sang it, not only because he did a great job, but because I knew it was going to be a crazy and fun night with plenty of sing-alongs.  The next round of songs we all slowed it down, while I sang 'Foolish Games' and really felt the lyrics, Jamie did Adele's version of 'To Make You Feel My Love' and Spark did 'House of the Rising Sun.'  Marty showed up and decided to do a little rock & roll singing 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' and trying something new for his first time singing that night.  Next up it was a round of new songs for everyone, since Marty had kicked off the night with his new song, I decided on Phil Collin's version of 'Against All Odds' adding a few Mariah Carey notes and just having fun with the song.  Jamie's new song was 'Black Velvet' by Allanah Myles and she brought some soul to her performance while Spark had everyone singing along with him while he sang 'Everything I Do, I Do It For You' made famous by Bryan Adams.  Oh, how we all love that song!  And Marty sang another new song doing 'Wicked Game' which I loved!

Of course, with friends in for Karaoke, that only means shots, so there were Raspberry Kamikaze's, Gummy Bears, and Whiskey.  There were a couple more arrivals about half-way through the night, bringing in Sean whose first song was Edwin McCain's 'I'll Be.'  Still celebrating his Birthday, Sean McCracken was also a late-arrival but an awesome surprise when he sang 'Breakeven' by The Script and impressed us all with his fantastic voice!  There were a few Duets to be done, so Jamie and I did our song, 'Take Me Or Leave Me' from Rent, while she joined Sean for 'Lucky' and I closed out the night doing a duet with McCracken.  We did Lady Antebellum's 'Need You Now.'  Back to the solo singers, Jamie did 'Gravity' just beautifully while Spark sang 'Walking In Memphis' and showed us his range and variety in songs, which always makes me a happy Karaoke Host!  Marty made us all believe 'The Reason' was you, singing Hoobastank's hit, while McCracken sang some James Taylor, changing up his style as well.  Sean brought a little country to the bar doing Tim McGraw's version of 'When The Stars Go Blue' while I brought the alternative angry vibe back with Nirvana's 'Heart-Shaped Box.'

It's always great when you can get your friends together to do something fun and creative like singing Karaoke.  It's awesome to surprise everyone with your choice and variety in songs and being able to try something new, whether you kill it or mess up, can laugh at yourself because we all appreciate the effort and courage to get up there and sing your heart out!  Till next week...

Brunch in Manhattan Beach!

Manhattan Beach Post Brunch

Last Saturday Jamie and I hit up Manhattan Beach Post in Manhattan Beach for a new and exciting Brunch!  It was a beautiful day outside, a little breezy, with the sun shining brightly, and as we got seated at our table we had an incredible view of the ocean and the waves crashing in!

Both of us were so hungry so after ordering 5 different dishes, we hoped that would be enough.  First off, we got started with cocktails, Jamie ordered the Pushing Daisies which had Champagne, Grapefruit and Rose in it, and I got their version of a Mojito.  Jamie's was served in a beautiful glass, and my Mojito had crushed ice in it and was delicious!  Our first bit of heaven were the Cheddar Bacon Biscuits that reminded me of Red Lobster's (don't tell them I said that) but were a billion times better!  It was honestly the best biscuit I've ever had!  I actually saved half of it so it would be the last thing I ate before we left!  The biscuits are served with a maple butter and have their own Facebook page.  You can check it out here: Little Drops of Heaven called Bacon Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits! 

Biscuits & Our Fruit Salad

Next up was a Citrus Salad with Mint and Honey.  It was not what I expected but still good and perfectly chilled.  There were a few different fruits served in a grapefruit bowl with some mint and honey drizzled on top.  I was expecting a salad so aside from that it was good.  Perhaps a little expensive for a bowl of fruit, but anytime you order a fruit bowl at a restaurant it's normally going to be around $10.  Our Chile and Maple Bacon came at the same time as the Citrus Salad and wow was that awesome.  It was the perfect amount of sweetness with a nice kick of spice.  My only complaint there was that I like my bacon crispy, but sopping up the juicy goodness in the skillet was pretty darn awesome.

Before our entrees came, Jamie ordered another cocktail called The Hessian made with was rum, allspice, nutmeg, and pumpkin which was the perfect holiday drink!  All of their food and cocktails change depending on the season and what's fresh, so it's kind of exciting to try entrees and cocktails that may not be there on our next visit.  Our Ricotta French Toast and Roasted Peppers with Burrata Cheese Sandwich came next and looked beautiful.  The sandwich bun was soft but firm enough to keep everything inside, and the greens had a citrus dressing on them which blended perfectly with the cheese and peppers and was served with home-made chips that were huge and hard Parmesan on them.  There was the perfect amount of Ricotta Cheese between the 2 slices of French Toast, that was sweet but savory, and a perfect dessert to end our meal.

Roasted Pepper & Burrata Sandwich with my amazing Biscuit!

I wish I would have had room for another biscuit but I was so full at the end of our meal I could barely finish the other half of my first one!  I'm going to go back strictly for biscuits one day!  Before we could go home, we were gifted with yet another cocktail, this one was The Man in the Yellow Hat.  I'm not a big Tequila drinker, and I don't particularly like Mezcal Tequila because it's got a smokey flavor and reminds me of bonfire, which I hate, but because of the banana, coconut and cardamom in the drink, it was really well blended and actually suited the drink.  Knowing me, I'd probably order it with Silver Tequila but seeing that I could drink it with the Mezcal made it a great drink and something I could sip on and enjoy and that was a pleasant surprise!

Our whole experience was amazing.  From sitting down at our table with our ocean view, to the impeccable service, thanks to Janet, the fun-flavored cocktails, and the elegant yet perfect comfort food, we were very satisfied customers and are excited to return!

What's for Dinner? Part 9.

It's been a while since I've added a recipe or tried something new, and I got inspired last week after watching a couple episodes of 'Giada' (and The Food Network) which I like to have on in the background when I'm working from home.  I made my Gnocchi Mac & Cheese the other day for Jamie so I'm still cooking and working on perfecting my recipes but I've got a new one and am excited to start coming up with some new stuff in the kitchen!

Thick Pesto!

Arugula Pesto

1 Cup Packed Arugula

1 Clove Garlic

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Parmesan & Mozzarella Cheese

Salt & Pepper

I pulled out Jessica's Food Processor which made this recipe a breeze!  I put the arugula into the Processor using the normal blade, and added in my clove of garlic after cutting it in half.  I did a quick chop, turning the Processor on for a few seconds and then off again.  Next, I added in the olive oil slowly (I actually eye-balled the pour) until the mixture was moist, and put in the cheese as well, making sure it was well-mixed and added salt and pepper last.  I tasted it to make sure the flavoring was right, then scraped the sides of the Processor and did one more quick spin with a little more salt.

Arugula Pesto with Tortellini and Pasta

Once the Pesto was made I put it into a sauce pan and heated it up to put over my Tortellini and Pasta.  It will separate a little because of the oil, but if you stir it up, it all blends back together.  I used about a 3/4 cup of dry pasta and 12 Tortellini's and the pasta was completely covered by the Arugula but I like a lot of sauce so it was perfect! 

My only disappointment about the Pesto was that it wasn't as flavorful as a Cilantro Pesto and perhaps I should have added more cheese and a little less oil.  I have an amazing Pesto Recipe I got from a friend, and it's got Rice Wine Vinegar and Honey in it, and is by far the best Pesto I've ever had, so this recipe had big Competition.  The great thing about this Arugula Pesto Recipe is that it only requires a few ingredients that most people would have in their fridge or pantry and having a Food Processor to mix it, makes it easy breezy :)

 

Hitting the high notes...

I didn't realize how much Halloween really knocks people out...last weekend at Bar Lubitsch was slower than normal after Halloween being on Wednesday, and this Wednesday at Karaoke, a week later, it was still affecting business.  Lucky, for my friends at Gabe's, we didn't let that affect our night and had a great Karaoke evening :)

Even though we didn't get Karaoke started until around 10:30 because we didn't have enough people to complete a rotation, everyone was happy to sing a bunch in the short rotation we did have.  My first song of the night was Eric Carmen's 'Hungry Eyes' and I played around with the key a little bit, and raised it, which made it more feminine and in a more comfortable register for my voice.  Jamie's first song was Adele's cover of 'To Make You Feel My Love' and it was absolutely beautiful.  CC and Bob were back after a little hiatus from Gabe's, and they were singing a couple Beatles songs, CC singing 'A Day in the Life' and Bob singing 'Come Together.'  He had a little theme going and did The Youngbloods, after singing 'Get Together.'  Art even joined the challenge of singing new songs every week and tried something new and impressed us all.

Neil showed up after our second round of songs and we all did new songs that rotation.  I opened with 'Beautiful Disaster' by Kelly Clarkson, and even though the version of the song was a little hokey, I was up for the challenge and happy with my performance (I also did 'Anytime' by Kelly Clarkson later).  Jamie also did a Kelly Clarkson song, singing 'Since You Been Gone' and she killed it yet again.  Girl was on a roll last night ;)  Neil did a couple new songs, and his first of the night was N'Sync's 'This I Promise You' hitting all of Justin's high notes and harmonies.  He surprised us all with his high notes and great performance.  CC did 'Unwritten' by Natasha Bedingfield while Bob followed up with an Eagles tune.  We brought the crowd back up with some fun dance songs, while I brought Pop into Gabe's singing Mandy Moore's first hit, 'Candy' Jamie did Bonnie Tyler's 'Holding Out For a Hero' while I did her back-up dancing.  She was a Bonnie streak, singing Bonnie Raitt's 'I Can't Make You Love Me' raising it 5 keys...very impressive!  Neil did a couple songs from Third Eye Blind and The Calling which I'd heard years ago, but had forgotten about, and was happy to bring them back to 2012!  

We kept Karaoke going until just after 1 am with Jamie, Neil, and I all taking one more turn before the night was over.  Jamie did 'Summertime' from "Porgy & Bess" while Neil got his groove on singing 'Sensitivity' by Ralph Tresvant.  Look it up, you'll know it.  And by popular demand I closed out the night with 'Baby Love' and I can't remember the last time I sang it and was happy to oblige!

Even though it was a slower night we all had fun, we all hit our high notes, and Halloween wasn't going to stop us from showing up!

The Alzheimer's Walk

Daylight Saving's Time in Fall is my favorite because you 'Fall Back' and gain an our of sleep that night.  I was so looking forward to that extra hour after knowing I was going to have a late night Bartending at Bar Lubitsch, but didn't know I was going to be there until 4 am (real time, before the change) and by the time I got home and got to bed it was 5 am.  Ugh.

Walking for Alzheimer's with a Mass of People!

For some reason, waking up at 6:45 am on Sunday morning was easy.  Neil and Jamie met me at my place and we all drove to Century City together where the Alzheimer's Walk was happening!  After we got parked, we all registered, got our wristbands and I picked up my Walk T-Shirt because I had raised over $100.  I actually reached my goal $250 through help of family and friends and I was so happy to raise the money and create awareness for Alzheimer's.  Then we picked up our Flowers, which signified if we lost someone to Alzheimer's, cared or supported someone with Alzheimer's, or wanted to create awareness, and we took a Team Photo together!  Go Tiny One's!  Then we grabbed some snacks and coffee and walked to the stage to listen to some of the speeches by celebrities before we made our way to the Start Line.

Jamie had hiked 8 miles the day before when she was in Catalina, Neil needs to have surgery on his MCL, and I really enjoy my Sunday Walk, so I don't think any of us really planned on running but once the Walk got started, that all got thrown to the wind as our competitive spirits came alive and we all took off to get ahead of the pack.  Neil decided to run the whole 5k and actually ended up 'Winning' even though it was a close race with a 19-year old kid who did his darndest, but Neil prevailed.  Jamie and I walked and ran the 5k, as we chatted about our weekend and made it to the Finish Line just a few minutes after Neil.  My only frustration was that the course they had mapped out had you going back and forth, and with all the people walking at different paces, you were crossing people and it was kind of confusing.  One of the greatest things about the race was how supportive all the Volunteers were, when you were walking by one, they would clap and cheer you on, and they offered water as well.  I handed out Hi-Fives along the way and was very excited to be doing my first ever Charity Walk!  The Finish Line was the coolest with the biggest cheers, and there were actually Cheerleaders there, and people congratulating you.

Team Tiny One's

After the Walk we stopped at McDonald's for Breakfast and enjoyed eating some fast food after knowing we got in a good work-out!  But the best part of the whole experience, was knowing that we helped a cause and created awareness about Alzheimer's and the Association and hopefully made a difference in someone's life!  

*Thank you to Jamie and Neil for Walking with me, your support means so much to me, and I had a blast 'Running' with you!  Thank you also to my Mom and Dad, Linda & Dave Opitz, Katie Schamberger, Jeff Walker, Thi Nguyen, JJ & John Long, Karen Girard, and Jamie Boalbey for donating to my Team!*

This one was for you Grandma...love you always! ~ Your Tiny One

Halloween Karaoke!!

Last week Wednesday was Halloween and in true form, I'm getting to my blog, only a week late!  I'm just trying to catch up after all the Halloween madness and work that's been happening for over a week.  Halloween Karaoke was a blast, we had lots of singers, everyone in Costume, singing their respective songs, and even a Costume Winner on our hands!

Slash & Axl

I got there early with my Rockstars in tow.  We were quite the band with Jamie as Katy Perry, Neil as Slash and me as Axl Rose, both of us from Guns & Roses, as we had been practicing our Rockstar faces all week.  There were a few Karaoke regulars waiting to sing, and thankfully dressed in Costume or I might have had to turn them away, but ready to rock and roll all night!  Marty was the next to arrive with the biggest Afro I have ever seen!  And then there was Goose & Maverick, with plenty of costumed friends arriving shortly after.  It appeared as though most of the gang was at Gabe's and ready to sing!

The night got started with covers for all of us, I opened with 'Hold the Line' by Toto but made sure I was keeping the Rocker vibe going all night, whether I was singing Guns & Roses or not.  Jamie's first song of the night was 'Perfect' by Alanis Morisette while Neil did an Axl Rose song to prep for his many Slash guitar solos!  Marty was in full-force again, singing old and new material, but excited to sing, and impressing us all.  Even though we didn't get Amy up to the stage, the look on her face while Scott was singing Metal was priceless...although, I think we all missed what would have been an awesome performance of 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling'.  

Karaoke Halloween at Gabe's

Afro

Next up, we all got into character singing our own music, Jamie doing some Katy Perry hits like, 'Waking Up in Vegas' and 'I Kissed a Girl' with her amazing blue wig and popstar voice!  Neil, who would never just go as one Rockstar had a whole changing room in his car, showed up as Bret Michaels singing Poison's hit, 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' while the whole room sang along and swayed to the music, and then later changed into Kid Rock doing a few more songs with a blonde wig and red Dickies.  I do believe that Slash & Axl's performance of 'Sweet Child of Mine' had the house rocking, while Slash played Air-Pool Cue and did a little back-up vocals along with Scott doing some leading vocals at the end of the song!  I would later help my band out by playing Air-Piano for 'November Rain' which even brought on a Costume change from Neil, with a ruffled shirt and suit jacket.  When Sean arrived, his song choice was perfect for his Costume singing 'Walking in Memphis' and getting everyone together for a Double Entendre performance that was one of the best we've ever seen!

Of course, at some point in the night we had to have our Costume Contest and after taking a vote, we decided 3rd Place went to Julie, as a Painted Witch, 2nd Place went to Rosie the Riveter, and Neil taking 1st Place with his many different Rockstar looks throughout the night!  Can someone say shots...and we did!  The party couldn't stop there though as their was more singing action to be had, a song by Hulk Hogan, some 'Gold Dust Woman' by the Painted Witch, which might currently resemble Stevie Nicks just a little, at least Costume-wise, and Jason Mraz from our Afro'd friend, Marty!  Jamie did some more Katy Perry, doing an awesome version of 'Firework' while Neil sang some Velvet Revolver for everyone.  Because of my Rock & Roll theme, the night wouldn't have been complete without a little 'Promises in the Dark' by Pat Benetar and 'Separate Ways' by Journey, both of which I haven't sang in a long time.  More BMV and Gummy Shots later it was time for the last song, and even though I usually veto an 8 minute song, Neil won the Costume Contest and I needed to sing a new song for the night so 'November Rain' it was.  We each had our respective musical instrument solos (Slash became my favorite guitarist after watching the 'November Rain' video with how talented he was) our vocal solos and even some Rockstar dance moves!

Slash Perry, Bret Michaels, and W. Axl Rose

Halloween Karaoke was a huge success as we have more pictures than we'll ever know what to do with and we created memories to last a lifetime!  The Rock & Roll Karaoke theme didn't catch on as much as we wanted, but a special thanks to my Band, Slash and Katy, and Marty for coming in an Afro, and to anyone that sang their hearts out on the Halloween Holiday!  See ya next year :)

Halloween Party!

 I'm one of those people who doesn't decide what my Halloween Costume is going to be until a week or two before Halloween.  This year I had some ideas a month before Neil's Annual Halloween Party but didn't plan anything out until about 10 days before when I went to try costumes on.  As I wrote about in my previous Halloween blog, it became a fiasco, and I was hours away from a Costume Party with no Costume, so I decided on one of my back-up ideas and am so happy with my Costume choice!

Neil's Party was being held the Saturday before Halloween, so for weeks leading up to it, Neil was shopping for bits and pieces of his costumes, decorations, and getting ideas.  When I arrived on Saturday, Neil, Chris (his roommate), and I went to the grocery store to pick up all the alcohol and snacks, along with some candy that we would need.  I brought a bottle of Grape Vodka I would be using to make shots, along with Cupcakes and Brownies, I had baked the day before, in addition to 2 bags of candy.  One of Neil's Halloween presents from me was a bottle of Patron XO, so we also had that to take shots of before the guests arrived.  We picked up 6 different bottles of liquor, along with mixers and supplies for Bloody Mary's the next day, and a couple other treats.

I had Church that evening so when I came back from that an hour later, Neil's place had been transformed into a Halloween Haven, with pictures of old-time scary movies on the wall, cobwebs everywhere, bats, spooks, and Neil's iPod docking station already playing his Halloween playlist he'd been perfecting for weeks.  We had a quick bite to eat and then took a House Shot together, trying both the Lord of the Flies and Purple People Eater.  Then it was time to get ready for the party!

Happy Halloween Party

Jamie and Khad both arrived early to get ready and into their costumes before the guests arrived.  While Jamie and I got ready together sipping on our fresh Amaretto Sours, we made it down just in time to take another house shot before people were there.  And then the party began...I poured shots for everyone that walked through the door, made drinks, while Neil was Hosting his party, showing people around, and we all took pictures together, of everyone at the party, had the music going, did a little 'Get Down Goblin' routine for the party, ate, drank, and were merry!  About 30 or 40 people filtered in and out throughout the night, bringing alcohol with them in additional to all the drinks we were providing including the house drink, The Vampire's Kiss, invented by Neil.  Everyone was having a great time!

Halloween Guests!

Rock & Roll

My Costume for the night was a Hooter Girl; I had everything from when I worked in Wisconsin and Santa Monica almost 10 years ago, including my Money Holder, my Flair, and also a Black Hooter's Uniform we wore on Friday's and special occasions which I changed into half-way through the night because it was a more comfortable uniform.  When you're working at Hooter's you are not allowed to wear the Uniform outside of work, you're not allowed to show your shorts or tank top without covering it when you're going to and coming from work, and they are very strict about that, so this was the first time I was able to wear it in public and it was quite exciting!  Jamie was Kate Beckinsale's character from 'Underworld' and she even had the amazing blue contacts to complete the outfit!  Neil was Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) from 'Fight Club' and he had multiple outfits to complete his look, including button-downs, fur jackets, sunglasses, and a gnarly black-eye.  Chris was Nicolas Cage's character from 'Raising Arizona,' and had been growing his moustache for his Costume.  Everyone at the party looked amazing...we had a Jessica Rabbit, Pocahontas, Indiana Jones, Frank N Furter from 'Rocky Horror', sexy Fire Fighters and Policemen, 'Bubba' Fett from 'Star Wars', Doug Flutie, Obi Wan Kenobi, a Pirate, Whoopie Cushion, lots of era (70's, 80's) costumes, Superhero's, a couple Princes from 'The Princess Bride' and Mia Wallace with an IV in her heart.  Everyone knew that entrance to the party could only be guaranteed by wearing a Costume, so everyone looked incredible!  

As it got later, someone heard 'Thriller' play on the iPod and couldn't figure out the dance so Neil played a DVD with Michael Jackson video's and the whole party gathered around the TV to watch, and before you knew it, it was a dance party with 'Thriller' dancers, and everyone having a good time and enjoying the show!  The party started to die down around 3 am and it was just Jamie, Neil, and I, cleaning up the place, and re-living an awesome night!  Clearly, the Party was a huge success!  And for a bunch of us, Saturday was just the beginning because we had Wednesday Halloween Karaoke to look forward to :)

Green Lantern, Indiana Jones, Alex, 70's Teacher, and Tyler Durden

Sunday was a day of watching Football, getting take-out, and drinking some Bloody Mary's, that I love to make and has been a tradition for Neil and I after a night of drinking, so we could recover from the amazing Halloween Festivities.  It was the perfect way to end the weekend and get excited about Karaoke on Halloween!

Alzheimer's Walk...Donations Please :)

I'm walking for Alzheimer's on Sunday in Los Angeles and I'm also raising money and awareness for this cause in hopes that we can find a cure!  If you'd like to Donate to the Alzheimer's Association please click on the link below and know that any donation helps and is greatly appreciated :)

The Tiny One's Story and Donation Page 

Here's my story:
The Tiny Ones

Hey Everyone,

My Grandma, Angie, died from Alzheimer's just over 7 years ago.  She was an amazing woman, loved by everyone she met, and could always make people smile.

When I was younger, I was a pretty small little girl, so she would call me her 'Tiny One.'  As I was growing up and in school, when we'd attend Church, she'd be at the Kids Mass, and would always give me a big hug and call me her Tiny One.  Some of the kids started to make fun of my nickname, and I'd get nervous and tell her not to call me that around them, but then something made me say to her, 'I don't care, you can call me your Tiny One anytime you want.'  About 10 years later, even when she was being taken care of and in an Alzheimer's Facility, she still remembered me, even when her memory was failing, she would always call me her 'Tiny One.'  Eventually, she wasn't able to communicate vocally anymore, but we saw it in her eyes when she'd recognize us.

Grandma, I miss you every day and think of you very often.  Every time I see 'The Price is Right,' or make Eggs with Cheese, see Crueller's in a Donut Shop, or watch a chef on a cooking show use Rhubarb, or sing Christmas Carols and Church songs that we'd sing together, it reminds me of you.  And I will always be proud to be your Tiny One.

By walking for my Grandma, I'm raising awareness and funds for Alzheimer's research, care and support.  Currently, more than 5 million American's have Alzheimer's and that number is expected to grow.  Please help support this great cause, even if it's just a couple dollars, every little bit helps.  Your donations to help the Alzheimer's Association advance research into prevention, treatments and a cure for Alzheimer's.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and I appreciate any help you can give :)

Love,

Lyndsey 'Tiny One'

If you'd like to join my team and walk with me, please let me know!  Having the support of family and friends is the greatest gift anyone can recieve!

Again...here's that link and thank you :)  Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to turn those clocks back one hour tonight!

The Tiny Ones Story and Donation Page

A Costume Fiasco Fix

I'm a pretty organized person; I don't like to procrastinate and I hate being late, so I try to stay on top of things but when it comes to Halloween, I always feel like something will fall into place and work out just in time.  I don't plan months in advance what I'm going to want to be but after this past Halloween, I think I'm going to make sure I'm ready to go in the first week of October so I don't have another Halloween Costume Fiasco.

My idea this year for the Saturday Halloween Party was to be Silk Spectre from 'Watchmen' and figured I'd be able to pick up the costume at any of the Costume stores that I'd find a coupon or discount for and be good to go.  I already knew what I was going to be for Halloween Karaoke, and had picked up the one item I needed at a thrift store and cut it up so it was perfect for my character!  (But I also couldnt' wear that for Saturday because I wanted to keep it a surprise till the unveiling on Halloween.)  Well, it was about a week and a half before my Saturday Halloween party and the month had gotten away from me so I went to try on the Costume at Aah's in Santa Monica and the Small Silk Spectre Costume was HUGE on me, not just a little big, not baggy, so huge that I could have practically fit another person in the Costume with me.  They tried to find the Costume in an XS at another store but that was proving difficult and I had to make a decision on what I would want to be.  So the next day I went to a few different places to get some ideas, and came back with Gypsies, Pirates, and Fairy Princesses, but I also wanted to find the best deal.

As I made my way home, I thought about the cute Coin Skirt (for a Gypsy) that I had found and that I could easily put together a Gypsy Costume of my own, but after talking to Mr. Halloween himself, he was right, I would feel more excited about something that was brand new and that I didn't pull pieces from my closet.  So I decided to start over and I looked through pictures of costumes and figured that this weekend we would go shopping and buy my Costume after price checking.  I had found this website called Costume Discounters that gave an awesome first price and then gave an additional 25% off, so most of the Costumes ranged from $30 to $50 which was awesome because they were all the Costumes that any lovely lady would want to wear on Halloween.  

That Sunday as we were out Halloween Shopping, I tried on more Costumes, and also found a Jonah Hex Costume (that was Megan Fox's character) and I thought that could be fun.  The store I tried it on in did not allow you to try the Costumes on in a dressing room, you had to put them on over your clothes, so out of sheer purpose, I wasn't going to buy it there, not to mention it was $75 and I could get it on-line for $44.  At least I was able to figure out a size and have an idea.  We actually did find the Silk Spectre Costume at another store in an XS but it was still big, even over my clothes, so that just wasn't going to work.  I started to get overwhelmed with all these ideas and just not knowing what to do so I decided on the Jonah Hex Costume and I would order it on Monday.

The Costume was ordered on Monday night and I paid $10 extra for 3-Day Shipping to ensure that it would be here by Friday, so I would be able to figure out hair and make-up options, and that way even if it didn't come till Saturday, I still was set for the party that night.  As I watched the tracking info, I noticed it wasn't really getting anywhere as the first two days went by and next thing I know, it's Thursday night after I get home from work and the Costume is in Illinois, the office at Costume Discounters is closed, and I have to call first thing on Friday.  When I called on Friday, they blamed UPS saying that they had missed the package, to which I on-line chatted with UPS who blamed Costume Discounters, saying that they didn't drop the package off.  I didn't care whose fault it was, I just wanted the Costume.  As I spoke with a higher-up person, she said they would send the Costume out today and over-night it for me, for Free, so that I would have it for the party.  She said they would e-mail me with the Shipping Information and Tracking Number, and I asked her to call me with the information as well, no matter the time.  She thanked me for my patience and at this point it was a waiting game.

When I got home from work on Friday night at 3 am, I saw I still hadn't received an e-mail with the Tracking Info, so I went to bed and made sure when I got up on Saturday morning to call again and see what was going on.  The first woman I spoke to said that my Costume hadn't shipped and they couldn't call because it was too late.  I couldn't believe that I would be without a Costume for my Party tonight, and not that they would care, but that they weren't trying to fix the problem was driving me nuts!  As I spoke with a Manager, and then her Supervisor, the best they could offer me was that when the Costume arrived on Monday, they would give me an additional 20% off of it.  I said that wasn't good enough because my Party was Saturday, which is why I got 3-Day Shipping, which would have gotten it there by Friday, with an extra day, just in case, and the fact that they never Over-Nighted the Costume, I had no chance for any Costume at this point.

*Side Note: Unfortunately, with Hurricane Sandy I have been unable to reach Costume Discounters and am pretty much out the $44 for the Costume.  I will update this if Costume Discounters decides to put Customer Service and Satisfaction first, but at this point, I am extremely disappointed with their ability to fix the problem.

After that I tried not to feel defeated and started pulling out any Costume ideas I had, and actually came up with something I could be really proud of and that I've always wanted to wear as a Costume because I couldn't ever wear it outside of my job.  I was excited about it, there would be a Costume change, and it didn't cost me a dime!  I also know that I'm getting ahead of the game next year and buying a Costume early so I can prep everything and not have to worry about any mishaps.  

Stay tuned for my next blog to see my Saturday Night Party Costume as well as my Halloween Karaoke Costume!