Honda Hi-Jinks

I bought my first brand new car in October of 2010.  I spent months looking for just the right car, test driving, doing research, etc.  Finally, I decided on the Honda Accord Coupe!  Here's my story...

 

Sophia (my 2002 Toyota Solara) was getting older, LA wasn't getting any cleaner, and I knew it would be soon enough when I wouldn't be able to drive her around anymore, or have her pass a Smog Test, so I had to drive her back to Wisconsin where she would be appreciated.  I started looking at cars and decided to go with a Honda, Hyundai, or Nissan.

 

The first car I test drove was the Honda Accord Coupe (this was also the first car I ever test drove in my entire life, so I was pretty nervous) and I was completely uncomfortable.  I was scared and nervous and just didn't feel right in the car even though it was beautiful and drove well.  All the cars I was looking at were going to be fully loaded because I wanted the Navigation so they came with leather interior and all the perks (darn upgrades) like a sun roof, heated seats, power everything.  After leaving Honda I was on my way to Nissan to drive a Nissan Altima Coupe.  I'd driven my old roommate's car a couple of times, and my friend, Tony, had one as well that I had driven.  Both of them loved their Nissan's and the second I got into the car I loved it too!  It drove really well, I felt comfortable and like it was a great fit for me.  The Nissan was a little more than the Accord but I was ok with that.  My last stop was the Hyundai dealership where I drove the Hyundai Genesis Coupe.  I loved the power behind the car, it was this cute little thing, and I really felt great in that one as well until I sat in the backseat.  I had to crouch to fit into it, and I'm only 5"4; what's a normal person going to do back there, not to mention the trunk space was basically non-existent.  Unfortunately, those things alone took that car out of the running even though it was the most affordable, had all these great reviews, and I was really happy driving it.  I decided to give the Accord another chance because it was the first car I drove so I went back there and drove it again.  This time, I felt more comfortable, they told all these great things about the car where if you're in an accident or slamming on your brakes, the car will basically take over for you to help avoid any bad situations.  Pretty darn cool.

 

The next step was finding the exact car I wanted.  Because I was shopping for a 2010 when the 2011's were already available, finding one with the Navigation in Silver or Slate was very difficult, for both Honda and Nissan since I hadn't decided yet. By then it was October and there were no Silver Honda's left, anywhere in the US (after hearing so many positive things about Honda's, how great the gas mileage was, how well they hold up, their re-sale value, I decided on the Accord).  There was a Slate one in Virginia, and I even called dealerships in Arizona to try to find my car but nothing.  I figured I would have to go with the Nissan and took a week to think about.  I then drove up to the Van Nuys Honda and spoke to someone up there because the Santa Monica one couldn't find a Silver Accord, and the Culver City one was giving me the run around and trying to sell me a V6 (trust me, if I'm going to be getting only 22 MPG in the City, I'm not losing anymore gas mileage with the V6).  Btw, Sophia was getting between 24-26 MPG in Los Angeles, after being totaled twice, and driven across the country from Wisconsin to LA.  Luckily, after I figured getting my 2010 Accord was a lost cause and I had given up hope and figured I'd wait another year, Van Nuys called and said, there was an Unlisted Silver Accord in Torrance, and they'd give it to me for the price I wanted.  I said yes, I want it, I will be there tomorrow signing the papers.

 

I bought the car on October 16, 2010 for almost $31,000 (after taxes) put a down-payment on it and set up a 4 year loan that I was going to try to pay off in 3 years.  Because I didn't drive Sophia back to Wisconsin until November, the car sat in a garage for almost a month before I took it over.  Initially, driving the car home and around, I had that uncomfortable feeling, and I can say now, it's still not gone away.  I've never felt like the car was mine, even though it's nearly paid off now.  I still feel awkward in it, the blind spots are everywhere, and clearly there's a reason I haven't given it a name; something is just off.  The car is beautiful, it's silver with black leather interior looks sporty and fun; I take great care of it and it still smells like new car when you get in it.  I haven't even put 10,000 miles on it, in the 21 months I've had it!

 

Fast forward to recently...still getting 19 MPG.  I figured it would take 3,000 miles to start getting decent gas mileage, then 6,000, and now almost 10,000 and I'm still getting 19-21 combined City & Highway driving.  The listed estimates were 22 City, 26 Combined, and 33 Highway.  I'm not even getting close to the Combined because I'm not even getting the City!!

I decided to take it into the Miller Honda Dealership of Culver City to check if there was something wrong with the computer, if the fuel consumption wasn't right, etc.  When I get there, Javier is my Advisor, and he says, I don't mean to blow you off, but I don't think there's anything wrong with your car, you're just getting 19 MPG and that's not that far off from the estimate.  I say, 'I'm driving City and Highway, that number is far off from the Combined!'  He says they'll look at it and let me know when it's ready.

Meanwhile, my friend, Khad and I go to Santa Monica to grab lunch before drops me off at Honda to pick up my car.  Unfortunately, his motorcycle died, and we had to wait for AAA to pick us up.  In the mean time, I have spent nearly an hour calling and leaving messages for Miller Honda to shuttle me from Santa Monica to Culver City (because they do that, and that's how I got home earlier) to no avail.  I finally speak to a woman who says she dropped the message on Javier's desk, because my Advisor has to set up the shuttle.  After she hangs up I call back, 'Get me any Advisor, I don't care who it is, to set up the shuttle, why do I need to speak to mine to get a ride, I just need a ride from Santa Monica to Culver City; how difficult can this be?'  She puts me on hold for 10 minutes then comes back saying, hang up immediately, someone is calling you back.  At this point, AAA has arrived, secured Khad's motorcycle to the truck, and we're riding over to his Dealership to drop off his bike to have them take us to Khad's house so he can take his car to drop me at Honda.  We're almost to his Dealership when Javier calls, so flippantly, 'what can I do for you?'  'Please have my car ready as soon as I get there, thank you.'

When I get to Honda Javier isn't in his office, but there are 3 gentlemen Advisor's just sitting around talking (must be why no one could set up a shuttle, they were too busy chatting about their day).  One of them has me sit in Javier's office and I wait for him and when he comes in he says there's nothing wrong with my car and doesn't even apologize for not returning my calls.  He asks me to sign the paperwork and I ask for his Manager.  The attitude he was giving was not a good look for him.  

I end up talking to the Manager who says that since nothing is wrong with my car, I can bring it back on nearly a full tank of gas, we'll fill it up, he'll drive 50 miles with me in the car, then fill it up again to see what the mileage is.  Now, I don't see how that's helping.  You're always going to get better gas mileage at the beginning of a tank of gas, and what happens when I get 21 MPG for the first 50 miles?  My problem is that I'm driving on Highway and City and getting between 19-21 when I should be getting 26.  I understand I live in LA, driving conditions are different here, but then Honda needs to advertise the actual MPG versus the ideal conditions, which the Service Manager explained Honda does.  In fine print it says, they drive the car under specific conditions, therefore getting 33 on Highway, 26 Combined, and 22 City.  So what's the normal person supposed to do when they have actual life and traffic to deal with and aren't on a closed road in the middle of nowhere?  That's false advertising!!  Honda I am so disappointed in you.  The Service Manager at Miller Honda of Culver City is disappointed with the gas mileage on his car.  I asked him how he could sell Honda's when he was disappointed with them and he said he didn't sell them, he was the Service Manager, so my next question was, how can you service cars knowing people aren't getting what they expected to?  I thought I was going to be getting better mileage, if I had known the TRUTH I would never have bought that car.  Who's to say the Nissan would be any better or worse, but what I do know, is that this situation with Honda has made me re-think the whole process and working with a Dealership.

The whole car buying process was supposed to be exciting, paying off a car should feel great, having a brand new beautiful car should make me happy, but I'm disappointed with my car, with the mileage, with the process, and the fact that I threw $31,000 down the drain on something I'm indifferent about.  Honda...you failed on this one.

Posh & Becks

On Monday, I was doing a Photo Shoot with Alex in Downtown, Los Angeles.  Neil was going to be shooting as well, he needed new Headshots, and I was going to be shooting some too, along with some couple and lifestyle photos for Alex's portfolio and fun for us!

It was a beautiful day outside, in the low 80's, but pretty warm in the sun.  Thankfully, we were in the shade for the most part.  I started out with some headshots so Neil could see how Alex worked and after shooting one outfit, it was Neil's turn.  He shot a bunch of different looks in his T-shirt and then switched to this edgy button-down for another style.  Alex brought a prop guitar along, and with that shirt, it made for a perfect photo.  We shot these photos at a wooden wall with colorful graffiti all over it.  I shot another set of headshots in a different color shirt and then we shot a couple photos together, joking around, playing serious, Neil playing the guitar and me singing, etc.

After our first location, we were on our way to the second, deeper into the arts district underneath an overpass.  I shot some more headshots there and then Neil shot some in a denim shirt.  I was playing director, (because I do that so well ;)...and Neil didn't seem to mind, too much) and Alex was happy to have me helping him out as well.  I had fun, fixing hair and clothes, and being an assistant for the day!  Then we shot another round of photos, and then some in front of Alex's white BMW with Neil in all white, and me in white shorts and a coral tank top.  I didn't know what to expect but when I saw the previews on the camera they were super editorial!  I loved them :)

Posh & Becks?

Then we were on our way to the third location where Alex wanted to shoot some pictures of us on the railroad tracks.  Unfortunately, a couple trains were blocking the view of Downtown LA that Alex wanted in the background so we played around on the tracks and took a couple photos but because it was so bright outside, and then underneath the overpass was so dark, it was a difficult shot so we moved onto our fourth location.

  

At our last location we were in the heart of Downtown, with chaos around us, and it was Neil's turn to kill it in his suit.  He took a ton of photos with different looks at the top of this escalator with buildings, green trees, and traffic going on behind him; it was actually really cool.  Once he got a bunch to choose from we moved to a fountain and sat down at a table and while Alex was setting up the camera we got shooed out of the area because it was private property so we moved to the sidewalk and were once again shooed away, except this time, the boys weren't going down without a fight, asking how the sidewalk could be private property and giving the security guard a hard time, but we ended up moving on anyway to an alley.  We took some awesome photos in there, very fun and flirty, but very classy and sophisticated.  

By the time we got done it was nearly 5:30 and we all had a long day of shooting were hungry and Neil had to get back to work at his day job.  So when he left to go home, I sat with Alex and his girlfriend, Kelly, while he uploaded the pictures and put them on a disc.  We ended up taking over 530 pictures!

Since we had such a long day, it was nice to go to Happy Hour with Alex & Kelly, along with their friend, Jenny, to Chaya in Downtown.  It was just about a 15 minute walk and we enjoyed sliders, this amazing corn appetizer, edamame, french fries, all different types of skewers, and other goodies along with wine and cocktails.  It was much needed and awesome to be out and social without having to be 'working.'  It's hard to call taking pictures and laughing with friends work ;)  We all had a great time, sharing stories, eating, drinking, and I'm definitely looking forward to another Photo Shoot & Happy Hour with good friends!

Sci-Fi Bartender

On Sunday I was Bartending at Irish Times and thankfully, there was no craziness to start the day; just a gorgeous day outside, and I had the bar ready by noon to open!

When I was working on Thursday, C*, came in to see if his film crew could use the bar to film a TV Pilot at the Bar that they were shopping to Network.  I said I was going to be working on Sunday and that it was ok with me, but they would have to get clearance from James, the Owner.  On Sunday, James came in and told me they would be there around 12:30 pm to set up and film for a few hours, they would be buying drinks, and hopefully food, and be done around 4 or 5 pm.  I was excited!

At 12:30 pm, lights were coming in, a Red Camera was getting set up, crew was working hard, and actors were hanging out until they had to take their places on our set.  C* was awesome, and had asked me on Thursday if I wouldn't mind being in some of the scenes, and I told him, of course, I would want to!

The Pilot they were filming was a Western set in Space, with a Sci-Fi feel.  This crew has been working together for years, and you could tell because of the camaraderie, and how quickly they worked.  Trust me, the beer and cocktails were flowing for everyone on C's* tab, and everyone was in a great mood.  I walked through for a couple of scenes, picking up glassware or clearing tables, and then got some face time for a scene where I was hanging out with my regulars, and this alarm goes off, and while we don't make a big deal right away, we figure out it's pretty serious, and everyone exits the bar.  They did close-up shots of a few people, so I was glad that I was one of them!

When the filming was done, most of the crew and a couple cast members stayed to have some lunch, and because the bar was open all day as well, I was kept pretty busy.  We had a couple groups of people come in throughout the day and everyone was super awesome about the filming going on around them.  C* was so thankful and appreciative for my help, but I was happy they were in there to keep me busy and give me something to do, so it wasn't a problem for me at all!  I hope that their Pilot gets picked up and perhaps we can all work together in the future!

The rest of the afternoon the bar ended up getting pretty busy so it was a great day to be working!  Plus, the Yankee's were winning, and I impressed a group of guys with my knowledge of what had happened the first couple innings of the game along with knowing the starting line-up.

Even though it's an 8 hour day behind the bar, and that's a normal work-day for most, being behind a bar that long is like 2 normal shifts.  But one of the things I love is that I'm done by 7:30 pm at the latest, and I can go home while it's still light outside.  Every time I've worked I've gone for a walk or just enjoyed the day.  The sun is setting, people are in the park, it's cooled down a little, and I can listen to music, or catch up with family and friends.  It's always a great way to end a shift at the bar :)

My Week with Diego

So this last week, Neil went out of town, and needed someone to take care of his Chihuahua, Diego, for the week.  I love Diego, and have been wanting a dog for the past year or two so I was happy to take care of him while Neil was in Chicago.

It all started on Monday when Diego and I dropped Neil off at LAX and we were on our way back to my place.  Deegs likes to sit in the driver's lap, and look around, and I wasn't used to this just yet, but there was no stopping him, so in my lap he sat, looking out the window and smiling at me because he got his way.  I'm just glad we were stuck in traffic.

At home, I had  toys for him, treats, his leash, etc.  The first thing we did was play for a little bit with 'Freckles' and after getting some work done, it was time for our daily walk.  There's a great park just a block from my place so we took a lap around the park and then walked around the block before coming back to my place.  Our first visit to the park took a little longer than it did the rest of the week because he was in unfamiliar territory, smelling everything, watching the kids play in the baseball field, watching the people on the tennis courts, and of course, checking out cute girls.  Diego is really well trained, so the only reason I kept him on his leash in the park was to keep him moving, otherwise, he would sit down and just stare at me as I walked down the path, but once we got onto the sidewalk, I could take it off because he enjoyed the freedom and would stay close by.  He was constantly complimented, how cute he was, what was his name, he's so well-behaved...

It was nice to have a little snuggle buddy on the couch, even though he dictated how I sat so that he could nestle into a specific spot, I was glad to have him there.  His favorite thing about sitting on the couch was having my purple blanket to bury himself in.  I watched him the other day for 2 minutes straight, moving, digging, burying himself into the right spot on the blanket, while still being covered but able to see everything around him.  Apparently, this was an art form that he had been working on for years, because he did that when he slept in my bed too. 

Deegs & Freckles

Every morning he'd wake up with me around 9 am, yup, he slept in till 9 with me, but knew I needed 10 minutes to just lay awake and think about my day, so he'd come and snuggle in right by my shoulder and lay his head on my arm until I was ready to get up.  Then we'd take a short walk outside to start our day, play for a little bit, and then have Breakfast.  We got into our routine quite easily and taking our walks together was probably the hi-light of my day!  During play-time we could throw 'Freckles' or 'Elephante' for 20 minutes without stopping.  He'd get all excited and drop one of them in front of me and I knew it was time.  If I didn't pick the toy up fast enough, he'd pick it up and drop it closer to me, and if I didn't pick it up then, he'd speak so I knew he was ready.  He's just such a fun little creature.

Now, I had to work at Karaoke on Wednesday and Friday for 5 hours, and Bartend at Irish Times on Thursday for 8 hours, and had an Audition on Friday morning in Palos Verdes, and I couldn't believe how hard it was to say goodbye to him.  I would find myself wondering what he was doing, was he drinking and eating, was he playing, where was he sitting?  Before I left, I'd put him on top of the couch so he could look down around the apartment and be the King while I was gone and as soon as he heard my key turning in the lock he was right at the door, waiting to give me kisses and play.  Because I was working a bunch this week, when it came time for Game Night with my girls up in The Valley on Thursday night, he was my Buddy and definitely coming with me.  There were a couple other well-behaved dogs, but just as Neil said, Diego would be a snob, because he was a 'human' and was better than they were.  He sat by my side all night, but he wasn't any help with Balderdash ;)

Needless to say, this week absolutely flew by and I was so sad to see little Digalo go home on Saturday night.  As difficult as it was, hiding him, because we're not supposed to have dogs at our Apartment, and he'd bark making it even more difficult, as much as he would lick me and be a little trouble-maker, I love that little man so much.  I love all his little quirks and nuances, his excitement for the simple things like taking a walk, playing, or laying on the couch, how smart he is, and how much love he gives and happy he makes me.  I can't wait for our next adventure together <3

The Valley Girl at Karaoke

I had a busy day on Friday starting off with an Audition near Palos Verdes that morning.  It's so gorgeous down there!  When my Mom was in town visiting last August we went to the Botanical Gardens which were incredibly beautiful and the Wayfarer's Chapel where the view was excellent!

My Audition was for a Fox Promo involving an App.  I was playing a New York Blogger, similar to Gossip Girl and I was told to wear Yoga Pants with a Fashionable top.  When I got to the Suite I found out it was for a Church App...cool :)  D* answered the door and gave me the sides which I read over for a few minutes before heading inside to do my Audition.  D* asked me to tell him a little bit about myself, so I said I was from Wisconsin and had been living in LA for 6 years.  I asked where he was from and he said Ohio, so we talked about playing Fantasy Football, College Football, and who our teams were.  We both agreed that we miss the Midwest and the people back home are great!

After about 15 minutes we got into the actual performance.  I slated, did profiles, and then explained what kind of App I would want (because on top of getting paid for the job, this company was designing an App for the Talent as well).  I'm sure there's one of these out there, but my App would calculate calories burned, with the time of the work-out, and keep track of all these details so I could compare at the end of the week, month, etc.  Then I went into my sides.  It was a short 30 second snippet where I had to play a flighty girl who realizes the App helps her out by keeping everything organized because she's so dis-organized.  D* told me to lose my IQ, play a little ditzy, and do it again.  So I did it again, playing dumb this time, but keeping it light and conversational.  D* said that was better, but to take it all the way, commenting that my line about 'forgetting where I put my car keys' was spot on, and to keep that vibe throughout the whole scene.  So I did it again, playing Valley Girl almost, very unfocused, and then honing it in at the end and he said it was great.  We both had a little laugh before I left, after I asked if I could show him anything else, and then I was on my way home!

On Friday night I was Hosting Karaoke at Gabe's, and actually thought it was going to be kind of quiet because of Debbie's Party last week, but it ended up being almost as busy.  There were a lot less people in the bar, but everyone that was there, was singing.  We had a fun group of girls keeping everyone involved singing songs by Def Leppard and The Eagles.  We had a bunch of regulars singing but for the most part, I was hanging by myself, which was ok.  My new song of the night was The Eurythmic's 'Here Comes the Rain Again' which actually was perfect for my voice, and I was able to change it up, harmonize at certain parts and make it my own.  My only disappointment about the song was that it was kind of repetitive; it could have ended a minute earlier and no one would have known any different.  I also sang 'If I Could Turn Back Time' which the crowd loved!  There were a couple of really excellent singers that sang hard rock/metal songs that sounded just like the original artist, being AC/DC and Ozzy.  Overall, it was a very supportive crowd night and everyone had a lot of energy which always keeps it exciting :)

Back Behind The Bar and 4th of July Karaoke

I'm finally back behind the bar on a regular basis!  I've been filling in at Irish Times since March and working random shifts but as of now I'll be working on Thursdays from noon until 7 pm!  I'm so glad to have a Bartending job but am obviously still looking for something permanent that I can call home where I can work multiple shifts and start making good money again!

I've been working at Irish Times the past couple Thursdays and Sundays and am starting to get to know the regulars better since I'm here on a more regular basis and can recognize people and their drinks.  There's been the Euro Cup on lately too so I've had a crowd earlier on than usual, and even if it's slow at least it's been steady and kept me going all day long.

Today started out with some excitement...no Guinness tapped and me trying to move the Guinness was I'm sure quite funny.  Thankfully, we had a guy working on the beer taps so he took care of it for me...darn damsel in distress!  That wasn't so bad because as I was opening the bar and our lovely chef was cleaning she happened to throw some water to clean the bathroom and it hit an electrical outlet.  She came running out to get me and as I went to assess the damage saw the smoke, smelled the burning wires, and saw the sparks.  I knew with the water on the ground that would act as a conductor (right?) and would shock us if we tried to wipe the water from the outlet so my first thought was to call the Fire Department just to be safe.  Of course, after telling them it was a Non-Emergency they said they would have to come and check it out as a precaution.  Meanwhile, I'm hoping they don't come with the whole crew, hose in hand, lights and sirens going...I was wrong.  Lights, sirens, 3 Firefighters, and a Manager guy, all dressed in suits.  Luckily, after looking at it with a special camera, everything was fine, and I offered them a beer (hey, they might have saved our lives, I was just trying to be hospitable) before they left.  They declined, but not without a smile and chuckle.  Just another exciting way to start my day :)

On Wednesday, I Hosted Karaoke at Gabe's for Independence Day/4th of July!  I walked into a nearly empty bar but had a great conversation with some friendly gentlemen and around 10 pm a couple Karaoke singers along with Johnny came in to hang out and sing so we got the night started.  While there wasn't a big crowd everyone was happy to have a short rotation and be able to sing more often!

I opened the night with some Beatles because they seemed like the most Patriotic Band that I could sing and we got the evening started.  I sang a bunch of songs I haven't sang in a while and practiced some songs I could use for a Karaoke contest that's going on throughout LA County like 'Mercy' and 'Baby Love.'  Johnny told me about the contest and was also practicing and sang a bunch of new songs.  I don't know if I've ever heard anyone sing Hoobastank, so he sang 'The Reason' for me.  Art did Gene Pitney's, 'Town Without Pity' which is by far one of my favorite songs for him to sing, and just makes me want to dance every time I hear it.  Then around 11 pm a group of my friends came in to sing, who have never been to Gabe's before!  They sang, Guns & Roses, Prince, Stone Temple Pilots, etc. and had so much fun, and did awesome!  I think they'll be back ;)  My new song of the night was 'Everytime We Touch' by Cascada which actually went well for not knowing the song.  It's a fun dance remix so I'll have to do it on a busier night so people get up and dance!

Our 4th of July Celebration ended up being a lot of fun, not too busy, the perfect amount of people, everyone able to sing, and having a good time!  Now if only I would have been able to see some Fireworks...there's always next year!

Star Wars Election

This Saturday I filmed a Star Wars Election Parody with some friends whom I worked on the Web Series, 'Jules & Jess' with.  We shot the Internet/Commercial spots at Magnolia Park in North Hollywood in the gorgeous sunshine.

Basically, with the upcoming 2012 Election, this is making light of voting for our current candidates and turning to The Dark Side.  They needed people who had Star Wars Costumes and would dress up and talk about Voting for Darth.  Any excuse to get more use out of my Princess Leia Costume the better!

After arriving in Costume with Han Solo, himself, we saw that Darth Vader was getting dressed in his authentic costume.  It was an actual replica of George Lucas' vision, and even though he paid $4000 for the Costume, he can never get paid to wear it because it belongs to the Star Wars franchise!  That's a huge investment for something you love, so I give him props!  About a half hour later more people had showed up and we were ready to shoot some scenes.

Darth taking a Sitting Break in-between filming scenes...he was actually 6 feet tall!

All of us did a Confessional style, Man on the Street Interview, turning to The Dark Side and keeping it light and fun.  The point wasn't to be perfectly Star Wars (except for Darth) but for it to seem very normal that these people would be roaming the streets.  I got to do a scene where I stated I was voting for Obama/Biden (it was acting) but after meeting with Darth and feeling The Force, I switched over to The Dark Side.  We did it a couple different ways and then moved onto a group scene at a picnic table where we're discussing Politics with Darth, and someone asked a question, and he killed them with The Force.  Who would wear Wookie brown when you could wear black like Darth?!  

It was a quick shoot and I'm hoping to get some fun footage from it as well.  It was great to do some acting work and Improv and get the crew together again to film something :)