Question of the Day #496

Nicolean Dynamite and I have a tradition of going to Benihana whenever she comes to LA. It started years ago, when she took all the girls out to dinner and we were flabbergasted that someone could treat six people to a Japanese steakhouse.

Man, she was rich.

Or maybe were all just broke and she had a real job and a generous spirit. Regardless, during every trip over the last 15 years, we hit Benihanika (that's what her little guy calls it).

Yummy.

Do you have a tradition involving any particular restaurant?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #495

My friend, Nicole, is in the house! We've been BFFs since high school and just about every year I've lived in LA, she's flown-in some fun for me and my LA buddies.

At first, when I lived at Mansfield, Nicole packed a week long party in her suitcase. We'd be exhausted from her vacation and somewhere along the party train, someone gave her the nickname, The Antichrist. After that, the nicknames piled up. Nicolean Dynamite, then Shorty to my Boo.

And a few that are not rated "YA."

Do you have a nicknames? What are they?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #494

Once, when I dropped my mom at the airport to head home from an LA visit, we discovered we'd forgotten about springing ahead when she missed her flight.

Oops.

How does daylight savings impact you?

xoxo,

Suzanne

Question of the Day #493

I am sooo tired.

What do you when you don't have time to nap and you have to be awake and seriously on your game?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #492

There is a TV in my bedroom that I never watch. It was also in my bedroom in my old house and the only time it was ever used was the one time I was sick and the short time I dated a guy who had to fall asleep to the TV.

That drove me bonkers. In fact, in that case, it was a dealbreaker.

But some people are like that. For example, my brother and his wife also fall alseep to the TV and they seem completely happy.

But I need to get the TV out of my bedroom. It's just taking up much needed space.

There are two questions here:

How do you feel about TVs in the bedroom? And, what is in your bedroom that you need to get rid of?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #491

This picture was taken during my mom's trip to Africa. Imagine being close enough to take it? Definitely a moment of a lifetime.

If you could take a once in a lifetime trip anywhere in the world (and not have to worry about funding it) where would you go?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #490

So, my friend, LDZ, who is a very creative person by nature, decided to try something new and wrote a picture book.

It's funny and the words pop and the characters are great and I think the imagery will be fun for an illustrator to work with.

Now, I'm not a picture book writer. But I like to read them. And so does LDZ.

I think reading a zillion picture books is the best way to prepare to write one. One of the girls in my writing group, Sara, made a goal to read 100 picture books and did it. She says it's made her a better writer.

We wouldn't be writers if we weren't readers. Reading makes us fall in love with books. It gives us ideas and makes us grow as writers and as people.

So, congratulations to LDZ for trying something new!

What new thing have you tried and what inspired you to do so?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #489

This is one of those mornings that I don't have a thought provoking, genius question to ask, so I'm going to blast you with a bunch instead:

1. Who occupies the last house you were in besides your own? (B.)

2. Where were you at 12:00 AM last night? (Sleeping.)

3. When was the last time you ran? (From the dining room to the kitchen while working on Thursday night.)

4. Do you have a tan? (Unfortunately not. Hopefully soon.)

5. What did the last text message you received say? (Ok.)

Wanna play Questions?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #488

How about a little Oscar talk?

I thought Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were hilarious. Their whole opening of picking on the audience had me in giggles. The two of them in a snuggie made me laugh out loud.

My thoughts on dresses:

Penelope Cruz - Stunning as usual.
Sarah Jessica Parker - Very cool and different, but she figeted with the strap.
Sandra Bullock - Lovely. Perfect for a winner.
Oprah - Gorgeous.
Robert Downey Junior's wife had a very cool dress on. Different. Striped. Loved it.
Nicole Richie's gown looked like jeweled Missoni straight out of the 60's. Amazing.
And I loved maggie Gyllenhall's print.

I didn't see many movies but I found the show to be entertaining nonetheless.

What are your thoughts on the big night?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #487

It's raining on Oscar. Which is fine with me and B because I have a killer stomach ache and have been a lump on the couch all day. So the rain makes me feel a little less guilty for being a lazyhead.

But I feel badly for the actors and actresses who have to attend the ceremony. Imagine trying to keep zillion dollar duds dry? And keeping coifs coiffed? Yikes.

It's like rain on prom night or on your wedding day.

How has weather impacted a special event of yours?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #486

Last night, a bunch of us went to the Viper Room in Hollywood to see our friends, The Green Car Motel perform. It had been years since I'd been there or at any club on the Sunset Strip. At the time, Johnny Depp had been the owner.

So when I settled in next to E at the bar, I said, "This is where Johnny Depp and I made eye contact. My knees wobbled and I almost fell over. For a moment I thought we'd live happily ever after. But then he looked away. And it was over."

She giggled and pointed to the end of the bar.

"One time, I went to put an empty drink on the bar over there and this guy passing by shoved me, so I slammed into this other guy. I grabbed his shoulder, looked up and said, 'I'm sorry.' Then I realized it was Johnny Depp." She made googly eyes at me. "I was like ohhhh...it's you..."

We laughed, fully understanding the lovestruck/starstruck crazy thing that happens when you encounter a star like Johnny Depp.

Have you had any funny celebrity sitings?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #485

I should be embarassed. I live in LA. Tons of my friends work in the biz. I'm going to be in Hollywood tonight, just steps away from giant Oscars, the red carpet and the helicopters buzzing above. And I have only seen one film that was nominated this year: Up.

Pathetic. I know.

I'm betting you did far better than me. What films did you enjoy this year?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #484

Yesterday, M, who has curly hair jut like mine, asked me, "Who cuts your hair? I need a new hairstylist."

"I do," I replied.

She looked at me like I'm koo-koo.

"You cut your own hair?" She asked.

"Yeah, I just lean over, gather the ends and I cut them. Then I stand up, pull the ends evenly over both shoulders and chop them."

"Can I touch your hair?" She asked and grabbed it. "Ohhh, you have way less hair than I do."

I felt hers and agreed. She had three times as much. There is no way she could ever self-clip like I do.

"I have to spend a zillion dollars on haircuts and hair products. It's ridiculous. You're so lucky," she said.

Yes, I am. I will admit my hair products are expensive, but I don't color my hair and I cut it myself. And I know that some people spend a fortune on hair maintenance.

So what about you? What does it take to maintain your mane?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #483

So last night, QOTD regular, Kristen, mentioned that over the years, she has collected tons of cooking magazines and recipes and has compiled them into a binder. She says goes back and reads them over and over.

Which of course, sprung the question, what can you read over and over and never get sick of?

I'm a cookbook freak too, and I have a bunch of favorites that I've dog-earred from frequent rereading. But when it comes to novels, I've read Sarah Dessen's novels over and over. I never get sick of the main character's voices.

What about you? What can you read over and over and never get sick of?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #482

I just entered a chance to win a getaway at an amazing spa and inn in Big Sur. Just the thought of a luxurious quiet weekend makes me drool.

I rarely enter contests. But I guess you have to enter to win, right?

How often do you enter contests? Have you ever won?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #481

Last night, after my shift, I sat down at the bar with my friends and watched the crazy gigantic moose and beavers carousel all over 32 flat screens. Just when I thought nothing could tear me away from the Closing Ceremonies, the the guitar plucking of Melissa Etheridge's "I'm the Only One" sounded. I turned around, glanced at the stage, where a blonde perched on a bar stool, tapping her foot to the beat.

Then she began to sing.

It was like yelling. Screeching. Off key madness. By far, the worst karoake I have ever heard.

Matt and EMoney called it "auditory rape."

I'm sure some of you are thinking all karoake is bad. But I'm in LA, and a lot of people can sing well. And bad karaoke is kind of odd.

But this. This was so bad I started cackling out loud. Like an insane person. Like somehow the cackling would make it stop.

Matt and EMoney stared at me. But I stuck with it. And while the singing didn't stop, the cackling made me feel better.

What insanity are you cackling through?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #480

I can't believe the Olympics are almost over. I feel like we just watched opening ceremonies a couple days ago. But gold medals, dramatic competition, intense athlete stories and a whole lot of excitement just flew by.

What other things are just flying by your life?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #479

So you know that hypothetical question - your house is burning down, what do you grab?

Due to that awful earthquake in Chile, there are tsunami advisories in California for later this afternoon. I have to go to work now, so I'm standing in my room asking myself, what do I take with me? Clearly, I can't pack all my personal belongings in my car, so I'm taking my computer with me. Because my writing is the most important thing to me. And when it comes down to it, that's all I really need.

So, say there's a tsunami advisory where you live, what do you take with you?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the day #478

So my friend, Matt, posted the picture above on Facebook with the caption "My new nameplate." Hilarious. Because whatever he's thinking is usually pretty obvious.

Of course, the picture made me wonder what my nameplate would say.

Sure I could go with Dr. Writer or Dr. Cook because those are things I do well, but I'm thinking about something more sarcastic, like Dr. Subtle. Because I'm about as a subtle as a neon sign. Or Dr. Hungry because I'm always hungry.

What would your nameplate say?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #477

My main character needs to leave the house. Sounds silly, right? She lives in a party house. People come to her. Her conflict is internal, with her, at home. So why should she leave?

Because it's boooooring.

One of the members of my fabulous critique group pointed it out. And it's true. She has to leave the house sometime.

The question is, where will she go?

If you were 17, in a small town and your parents were away for the summer, where would you go?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #476

Today, I face my taxes.

What dreaded task will you tackle today?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #475

What questions do you have for me?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #474

If you could be any age again for one week, what age would you be?

I would be 30. I'd rethink a couple major decisions. Maybe punch a couple people too.

How about you?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #473

It's a dark, cloudy day in LA and B and I are just waiting for the clouds to explode rain. In anticipation, we decided to make soup with what we had in the house. We browned some stew meat, added carrots, celery, onions, garlic, tomatoes, beef stock and some seasonings. Now we'll let it cook low and slow, add some lentils and wait until the beef falls apart.

Soup is good food.

What's your favorite soup?

xoxo,
Suzanne

Question of the Day #472

Imagine this:

You are in a beautiful spot. If you're an ocean person, you're by the ocean. If you're into the mountains, you're in a lovely mountain cabin. You are in a natural setting of your choice. You have comfortable shelter, food -- everything you need to live well. But you don't have a cell phone, Internet or television.

You are to stay there for one month. By yourself.

Love it or hate it?

xoxo,
Suzanne
PS - You don't have to worry about making money or the consequences of your time away from real life.