Here's To You, Mrs. Robinson!

You hear it all the time, especially after you hit 40. "Age is just a number" or "You are only as old as you feel". Is it really?

I was confronted with this question at the most unlikely but yet likely place, a bar! There I was in the bar, out to support my friends band, when suddenly I was surround by the breed known as "The Cougar". The Cougar, the cultural phenomenon of a older woman out for a much younger guy! Teased hair, shirts cut down to there with silicone to spare and that look in their eye. A little inebriated, out to have fun, they spotted their prey and went all out! Their target? The lucky guitarist was the man! Cute, talented, all of 24 years old! They were all over him like he was the last man on the planet. It didn't seem to be the first time for this experience on either side of the conquest! A cute, 24-year old guitarist, are you kidding me? A Cougars dream to be sure and all parties involved were workin it with all they had!

I found myself rolling my eyes! This is the stuff I tease my girlfriend about! She's been waiving her Cougar flag loud and proud for a couple of years! I didn't want any part of it! What would I have in common with a young guy? I am not a gamer or thin, hot blonde, two of the only things I thought the under 35 male was interested in. It dawned on me that those assumptions about the young guy are just as bad as someone assuming that I am dull and boring because I am over 40!

So, while the entertainment value in observing the guitar player and the Cougars was off the charts (bordering on voyerism, actually) it begs the question: Why the hell not? Who said we have to act our age in place of having fun? Who says having fun is immature, irresponsible? Because I believe that age is just a number, am I a cougar? Do I have to have a label? Why does having a personal connection with someone have to fit within an age bracket?

Look, I have never really hung out with guys my own age and most my friends are younger! It seems the 40+ guys are either married with kids or divorced with them. They have mortgages, bills, companies they own, responsibilities. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a responsible guy of any age, one that has goals, is self-motivated, knows who he is! However, give me someone who has some of those qualities but with a carefree attitude! Someone who isn't weighted down with the weight of bad experiences! Someone who can be impulsive and still responsible! I don't want the dude sitting around, playing video games and watching pay-per-view in lieu of working. I want someone fun to hang with, who can still laugh at life, who is young enough not to be jaded or bitter.To this Cougar, that is the appeal of the younger guy! Well, that and it's been said they have stamina and energy to burn! All that Red Bull! :)

Before you flame me, I know that there are exceptions to every rule. Yes, I do know that there arguments to be made on both sides of this equation. I am just saying that it's worth exploring! Besides, it has been acceptable since the beginning of time for men to go for younger women.

With that in mind, I say sisters, go for it!! The double standard has to stop! If you are lucky to find a connection with anyone on any level, why let a little thing like age be a deal breaker just because society frowns on it? Lucky for us, Dr. Phil and Demi Moore have stamped the Cougar phenomenon with their approval so its more acceptable than ever! Cher has been in the Cougar Hall of Fame for decades! If younger guys, are your thing, follow their lead: Go for it! Like this post? Please share it, bookmark it or leave a comment.

Crazy Dog Lady?

Am I turning into one of those stereotypical single women who hide behind the love of animals instead of getting out there and risking the hurt and rejection of men? I pondered this possibility while spending my Christmas Eve shovling dog poop out of kennels! Don't get me wrong! I really love working with the animals and cleaning kennels is just part of the job! But do I love them too much? Am I hiding behind the unconditional love of my dogs?

I bought few presents this year. I am working two jobs to get out of debt and I am not going to jepordize that by buying gifts out of a feeling of obligation. I did however, fill stockings and buy gifts for my dogs! I got extreme joy of watching them tear paper off the box of dog bones I bought AND WRAPPED for them! My heart soared when they licked my face in appreciation for the stockings stuffed with toys, empty water bottles, balls of paper, bones....all their favorite things!

Its crazy, I know, to treat dogs like they are your children. But if anything good comes out of my job at PetSmart (other than the paycheck) it will be the verification that I am by far not the only person that does this. We have dogs checking in with bottles of Evian and more swag than I have seen any toddler have! I just need to make sure that I will eventually spend Christmas with beings that are human. They just need to love my boys as much I do Like this post? Please share it, bookmark it or leave a comment.

What's The Deal With Spin Class??

Two things I need to make clear before I start this: 1) I am not a genius...shocking as that might be and 2) I love to bike ride. I have been known to drive down to Hermosa, rent a bike and ride from Hermosa to Dockweiler to Redondo and back to Hermosa....about 17 miles round trip!
It was with that last fact in mind that I thought I would try a spin class at my new gym. The website says that spin class takes the outside bicycling experience and brings it inside! Perfect! I knew it would be missing the beauty of the beach, the salt air, cool breezes and shirtless hardbodies playing vollyball but I figured it was right up my alley! A workout that I could get behind and not dread!

My hopes were dashed when I walked into the class 5 minutes late and hopped on a bike! I planned to talk to the instructor to get a feel of what goes on in a spin class but a last minute meeting with my boss eliminated that possibility. So there I was on the bike and ready to go. Imagine my surprize when I couldn't even move the pedals! Uhhh.....is this what spin class is all about?? Everyone around me was moving....what was going on? I stood up and mustered every ounce of strength I had to move those pedals. JT was singing that he was bringing sexy back in the background and this must be how it did it! Rock hard abs come from spin class! Wahooo....abs here I come.

But after what seemed like an hour but must have been 30 seconds my knees burned so bad I thought they were going to pop out of their socket. Forget abs or bringing sexy back! This wasn't like my experience in the South Bay, this was torture. I got off the bike and went to a regular bike and spinned on my own for a half hour.

This is where the " I am not a genius" part comes in. On the way home I was talking to my friend Selena and she mentioned that I probably just had a bike wheresomeone ratcheted up the tension to about 50! I didn't know in spin class you could adjust it! DUH!

I am going to try spin class again....someday.........soon! JT needs someone to help him bring sexy back and it might as well be me! Like this post? Please share it, bookmark it or leave a comment.

You Say Bitch Like It's A Bad Thing

How funny is it that for the first time in the many times i've been called a bitch I'm actually excited about claiming the title. That is because it was given to me by the awesome Dave Grohl, member of one of my fave bands, The Foo Fighters!

I went to Paladino's last night to see my friends in Lights play a set that was great dispite tech problems. I heard rumblings that Dave was in the house but didn't see him. Shan and I walk outside to leave and who is standing there talking to Casey (from Lights)? Dave Grohl! I politely wait for a break and say hi to Dave and tell him how great the Foo's were opening for the Police this summer at Dodger Stadium! He was nice, said thank you. I then turn to Casey, jokingly, and said "yeah...you guys aren't that bad either". Dave busts up laughing and says "This one's a bitch....what a bitch"! The whole crowd there was laughing. I told Dave "nah....Casey knows I love `em" (which I do...Lights are AWESOME).

So that's my latest celebrity sighting. At a whole in the wall like Paladinos! Man, I love LA!!! Like this post? Please share it, bookmark it or leave a comment.

I've Seen The Future and It's Name Is Bruce Springsteen

The band is not trendy or young but neither is the building they are performing in. However, it's not trendiness that is going to make this night magical and the band knows it. The band also know that this run-down building close to downtown L.A. holds memories for their fans as it is the building they have played the most in L.A. Shunning the glistening and cold mega corporate arenas, the band opts to play there this tour, in a building that most definately has its best days behind it. But included in the buildings glory days are memories of the band and marathon shows, shows that symbolize all that is right with music. Most of those shows involved Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band and its that feeling that Bruce and the band want to bring back to the LA Sports Arena. And they did.

Make no mistake, the LA Sports Arena is a dump! The floor is concrete, the seats are peeling vynal and bolted to the floor! No huge video scoreboard or LED light display showing the company sponsering the place. No corporate sponsers at all! The only ad anywhere is one for an inner city check cashing place! There are reasons Bruce demanded to play here and they are reasons that are rooted in everything Springsteen stands for! No corporate greed represented by cavernous arenas with sparkly luxury boxes that suck the sound quality right out of the building. The seats may have had springs poking you in the butt at the Sports Arena but the sound was amazing! And the building has an odd character and history! A definite history for Bruce fans! Fans still talk about his multi-night stand there during "The River" tour! This specific fan remembers her first Bruce show there during the "Tunnel of Love" tour! At first I couldn't imagine why the savior of Rock and Roll would play in such a dump, such a forgotten building. Now I get it!

I have seen Bruce and The E-Street Band many times before but not like I saw them last night! They were on fire! This was a band that still could rock and roll after 30+ years! They were in their element! There was an electric feeling in the air that is typical at most Bruce shows and the great sound only magnified the mojo! The crowd could feel they were a part of something special and so could the band. Was it a perfect show? No, of course not! A band with a catalog so huge is sure to leave out a fave or two. I would have LOVED to hear "Jungleland" or Thunder Road. But the one-two opening punch of "Radio Nowhere" into "No Surrender" was exhilarating! Almost as exciting was "Born To Run" into "Dancing In The Dark"! The new stuff shone and surpizes such as "Thundercrack" rocked!

I am at an age now where I wax nostalgic about "the good ole days" in music. I truly long for the days when music was about the talent of the musicans and not exclusively the talent of the producer. The days when touring and giging made an artist, not some crappy reality TV show. The days when there was actually music on Music Television. Those days are long over, for the most part. Bruce and The E-Street Band releasing a relevant album, one that harks back to the bands own glory days, that gives me hope! And hearing that band, in that building, on that night like so many others before it....well....it was "Magic"!

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Back On The Weight Loss Bandwagon!

This is my year to get the rest of this weight off! I could stand proud at losing 100 pounds but I'm not! I am not going to be happy until I get down to a healthy 140! The road to this goal starts NOW! Actually it started Sunday! I was THRILLED to find out in the year and a 1/2 since my surgery, the very same year I have been messing around and slacking off BIG TIME, I have only gained SEVEN pounds! SEVEN!!!

This last year saw this emotional overeater go through some trying times. I started 3 new jobs, I found out my father died 3 weeks after it happened because my stepmonster is a witch, I found out 2 immediate family members are in trouble with the law, my sister had a cancer scare and that was on top of little life trials like car trouble, the "bad guys" coming after the late credit card payments and just life being as it is! I had every reason to put back on 100 pounds but only gained SEVEN!!! WAHHHOOOOO!

This isn't to say I am perfect. I'm not and won't ever be! I have an eating disorder and will have it for the rest of my life. But I am making huge progress in learning how to manage it. If I do go to McDonalds I get one cheeseburger and a small fry not Super Size Value Big Mac Meal with a shake (sidebar........must rent "Super Size Me" if you haven't seen it...I need to see it again). My binge of choice is whole wheat mini-crackers from Trader Joes with fat free cheese and little cherry tomatoes, not an entire bag of Oreos. I have learned that two apple martinis on an empty stomach will make me so sick, I wish I could die and two beers make me wake up with the headache I used to get after drinking Kamikazi's all night! Alcohol is not my friend anymore! I can be just as crazy without its help as a lot of people are with it plus I can remember all the crap everyone else did under it's influence and blackmail them the next day!

This is my year to continue making progress. This last year and 1/2 was just a little side trip on the journey to good health and a rockin body! It was a trip I needed to take to learn the lessons I have learned. I learned that stress and no sleep trigger my trips through the drive-through. I have learned exercise, as much as I rather be on the couch watching The Food Network, is a wonderful replacement for binge eating. Most of all I have learned I have what it takes to get this done and I deserve it! Like this post? Please share it, bookmark it or leave a comment.

The Bow Wow Hilton

I AM NOT CRAZY!!! Where and when did I discover this? The minute I got hired at the PetSmart PetsHotel! That's right! A hotel for dogs and cats! You may call it a kennel, I call it the Bow Wow Hilton!

Whe you walk into the PetsHotel, you walk into a true hotel lobby complete with fireplace, comfy chair, magazines on the table. At the PetsHotel, you are greeted just like any other hotel guest....after, of course, we talk to your "baby", Fido! We give the "guests" treats, playtimes anything to make their stay at our hotel comfy! It is amazing!

I love working here! It is here that I realized I am far and away not the only human who treats their dogs like one of the family! Heck, some of these dogs check into the facility for a weekend with more crap than I take to New York for a week!

It's great to work with dogs! Playing with them in "doggie day camp" is just like being the noontime aid on the playground. I will never forget Joey, the chihuahua who "policed" the daycamp! He would sit on my lap, always on the lookout for any shinanagans, and the minute a disagreement or scuffle would break out, he would jump down, break it up with a bark that clearly laid down the law and then came right back to his post on my lap. Then there is little Chloe, an adorable Bichon. She's the playground cutie pie, always popular with the fellas, cute and she knows it! Our wonderful "rat pack" of puggles and beagles, Sox, Jaxson, Buttons and Bubba Joe are the little rascals in dog form: mischevious and playful! It is so fun to watch this group and all the others in action! I swear, doggie day camp is no different than the ones with humans! CRAZY!!

I love this job! It is a gift to have a part-time job working with dogs! Like this post? Please share it, bookmark it or leave a comment.