hark the bells

tonight was the annual ocmco concert. it was fantastic! auditioning for the choir was the best thing i've ever done. singing in the organization has been a blessing and an honor. i can't believe i've only been with ocmco for a year! either way, it's been a most fantastic year!


this concert was titled "all the bells on earth shall ring" and the program lived up to it's title. we had a bell choir this year. it was gorgeous. and, of course, there were a few brett stewart originals. we even had a glockenschpiel! yeah, that's okay, i didn't know what it was either. it's like...a xylophone. 'cept cooler.


speakin' of cool, don't i look so hot with my stage makeup?! lookout boys, i'm breakin' hearts tonight! me and my eight pounds of lipstick. smooches, anyone?


oh, and a shoutout to our concert photographer, heather morris! i stole the pics from her. for more info on her hilarity and daily escapades, go here.

to dance or not to dance? not even a question.

we rustled up the girls for 80s dancing last week. it just so happens that the very same night, south county experienced torrential downpours. after workin' up a sweat on the dancefloor, the cool rain was too much to resist. we took our dancin' to the streets and were soaked in seconds! good times, good times.


mom, if you're reading this, i just want you to know there were no boys around. none at all. they weren't sitting outside watching us re-enact flashdance or taking photos of said re-enactment. they weren't oogling our hot bodies or cat calling. not at all. nope, not one bit. promise.

vince vaughn is a dreamboat.

after the food coma wore off, i spent all of saturday doing my spring...erm, winter cleaning. it was a most productive day and i was totally in the zone. around five o'clock, i pulled myself out of the fog and had a chat with miss angel. we made plans to see a movie. we bypassed internment camps (boy in the striped pajamas) and hot aussie hugh jackman (australia) in favor of doofy men and leggy blondes. that's right, we saw four christmases with vince vaughn and reese witherspoon.


it was pretty cute. now that may or may not be because i'm a fan of vince vaughn and tend to place him firmly in the hot men category. yes, i recognize he's a total doof, but there's just something about him. yum! miss reese was great in the slapstick-esque scenes. it's not exactly a classic but it's a fun holiday film. maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. but either way, that vince vaughn is so hot right now. true story.

the what?

benjamin scott davis

this be my brudda. ain't he cute? today is his birthday. that's right, the big 2-8.


happy birthday, old man. i'm so glad you got borned. life just wouldn't be the same without you.

like a bath after a long day.

it's been a delicious couple of days. and i'm not just talkin' about the garlic roasted turkey or rosemary vegetables or the...sigh...pecan pie. no, the deliciousness extends way past all of that.


generally speaking, my life is lived at jet setting speed. don't get me wrong, i love all of it. most of the time. but, when the holidays roll around, it's time to slow down. i love it. i love the laid back days filled with cooking and games and laughter. it's sleepovers with your bestie and pride and prejudice after a day of turkey and pie. it's a beautiful thing. the kind of beauty that puts a smile on your face and makes you sigh with contentment.

i'm grateful.

viva la vida

because sweet hookups are where it's at, angel and i were able to score tickets to the coldplay concert last night. two words: uh mazing. seriously, i was a fan before, but i'm officially a fanATIC now. they're incredible live.


oh that chris martin. such a sprightly fellow.

angel's friend lorie made a quick trip down from the high desert to join us. ain't see precious? i think so.


like i said, the band was phenomenal live. tons of energy and they really worked hard to connect with the audience. it was a super fab vibe. if you ever ever EVER get a chance to see them, take it! granted, the hookup prolly won't be as sweet as mine, but it'll be worth it!


p.s. i'm in love with the drummer.

if you've got a quarter hour to spare.

sure, he's a totally awkward and not-so-seasoned actor but once you get past all that, it's not so bad. the interviewer is super lame and her interruptions are slightly annoying, but robert is a dreamboat. oh that hair!

shaken not stirred.

what do you get when you cross ingrid, jason and a couple of ukes?



magic, my friends. musical magic.

survey says...ugh.

we braved the crowds on friday for a viewing of the most anticipated movie of the month. that's right, twilight.


i spent most of the day friday reviewing what the critics said about the movie. i was a fan of the books and was looking forward to seeing robert pattinson and kristin stewart doing their thing as edward and bella. the first review i read about twilight said:

I think Edward Cullen has Asperger's syndrome... Bella should totally go for Jacob instead, but then he could do way better with any of the townies... Edward looks lame ripping trees out of the ground and jumping around the forest like Tom Cruise on Oprah.

there were many scathing reviews. by mid-afternoon, i was almost considering bailing on the show altogether. here's what some other critics had to say:

Combines the plot of HBO's True Blood with the intensity level of Saved by the Bell.

How can a teen romantic fantasy not be at least some fun when the leading man's lipstick is several shades redder than that of the ingénue?

i must say, when edward entered with his highly-pigmented lips, i had to laugh. that critic was spot on. poor, poor bella. shown up by her hyper-made up vampire boyfriend. the girl didn't stand a chance.

and here was my favorite quote from the critics:

These aren't vampires. These are fairies.

classic! all in all, i'm not so much a fan of twilight the movie. yes, robert pattinson is hot but it just didn't do it for me.

now, if you'll excuse me, i'm off to write the screenplay for the second movie. these people need some help.

she's baaaack.

just kidding, she isn't. just kidding, she is. just kidding, she isn't but she was. just kidding. just kidding. just kidding.



kristin weig is the best thing to happen to snl in a long time. true story.

curse you ABC.

pushing daisies, my tied-for-most favorite show in the whole world, has been cancelled. for the full story, click here.

ned the piemaker is basically the hottest thing since...well, ever. my broken heart may never recover. i guess i'm stuck with reruns of the first season and repeated watching of miss pettigrew lives for a day. sad. what a world, what a world.

um...seriously.

this year, i'm on a quest for the most delicious thanksgiving dessert ever. i'm partial to pecan pie m'self. but this, this little darling, comes mighty close to pulling me away from my long time fave. in truth, i don't even really like pumpkin all that much. but i'd certainly be willing to give this flaky little bit a chance. ooey, gooey pumpkiny deliciosness? yes, please. for the recipe, click here.

hee-diculous.

have you seen that movie with jim carey where his life is being filmed 24 hours a day without him knowing it? i can't remember the name of it, but i couldn't help but make the connection when this little tidbit came across my email.

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you know, in the end, jim carey's character is horrified to learn that he's the star of his own reality. he feels used and violated. and i know puppies are a bit of a lesser being (i mean that in the nicest way), but i can't help but think they'll feel the same way. you know, as soon as they realize they're lives are being invaded. it just ain't right. but i can't stop watching.

the waiting game.

while we count down the hours and minutes until the release of the most anticipated tween movie since harry potter, m'girls and i are keeping busy.


angel's got a throwback to 311. 'member them? great band, great music. edward's amber eyes are most delicious.


tory's makin' a very bold statement about what she wants in a man. edward can take me to that grassy meadow and sparkle for me anytime!


and me, well, i just miss home. and, on behalf of the people of forks, i'd like to thank edward for puttin' it on the map. well, technically, it was stephanie meyer but she doesn't have amber eyes and her skin doesn't sparkle in the sunlight. i don't think.


look, ma! puffy paint! aren't we crafty?


see you friday! for the diehards, right at 12:01am. unfortunately, i'm a fan, but i'm not a diehard. at 12:01am, i'll be snug in my bed. but i'll be dreaming of you. and all the eighty gamillion screaming teenage girls waiting in line with you. i'll be rollin' in friday night. yeah, baby. i'm a fan.

hee-larious.

okay, seriously. i can't even handle this. these guys are in heels. HEELS! and they're doing the choreography from beyonce's video. i just can't even handle it.



we're the dancers. freakin' high heels! oh, man.

merry christmas! merry christmas!

yeah, yeah i know it's a bit early yet, but after last night's ocmco rehearsal, i'm more excited for christmas than ever! ocmco's annual christmas concert is wednesday, december 3 at segerstrom hall in costa mesa. you simply MUST come! one of our directors is also the composer for many of our pieces and he is incredible. we did a run through with the orchestra last night and the scores are phenomenal! i'm so excited! this is a GREAT way to ring in the holiday season!


to buy tickets go to www.ocpac.org. there's a link to "all the bells on earth shall ring" and that'll take you where you wanna go. if you can't find the link, just type ocmco in the search box. oh, and do it fast 'cause the hall is selling out! don't wait or you may be too late!

i heart rhyming. and ocmco. and the christmas season.

yet another musical tidbit.

for those of you that don't know or haven't figured it out yet, i have a most obsessive personality. but, hey. at least i'm consistently obsessive, right? the objects of said obsession aren't always or ever related, but you can almost always bet that there's an obsession a-brewin' in me head.

one of 'em is miss lisa hannigan. yeah, 'member that hauntingly beautiful (cliche but oh so fitting) voice that shared the song volcano with damien? that's lisa. she went her own way and started her own gig. right now, she's touring for jason mraz. lisa's adorable and completely loveable on stage. she's got this gorgeous, smoky voice. and the irish brouge is nothin' to thumb yer nose at neither. she's just a sweetie. see for yourself.



have a listen to her album and see if you don't love it. it's a bit of the acoustic folk again (like i said, obsessive) but i think you'll like it. i'm a fan of an ocean and a rock and keep it all. but i'll let you pick your faves. lemme know what you think.

old soul.

i'm sick. and while i wait for the nyquil to kick in (all you holistic health nuts need to back off about me poisioning my body, okay?), i will share with you what got me through a most horrific day of phlegm and faintness and a lost desire to live to see another day.

ready? it's a big'un. prepare to have your mind blown.


ta-da! mind blowing, right? right?! okay, okay. let me 'splain.

iron & wine rocks. that's bulletpoint numero uno. i've always been a fan of acoustic folk. what? my mama was a hippie. okay, i don't know if that was true, but i really do love acoustic folk. i just love the old soul quality of it. and iron & wine is as delicious as it comes.

oh, and as i perused their website today, i was dee-lighted to find that one of their songs is being featured on the twilight soundtrack. random but awesome just the same. now are you convinced?

give it a listen. lemme know what you think.

oh, mine eyes are feelin' mighty heavy. lights out.

the athens of the south

why travel all the way to greece...


...when they've got the same stuff in tennessee?


no, seriously. nashville has a full-size replica of the greek parthenon complete with 42 ft. statue of athena. crazy, eh?

brother newton and the church of ingrid

last night, instead of sitting at home on pins and needles for the election results (was it really a surprise?), my ladyfriends and i rallied for a trip to the house of blues in anaheim for an ingrid michaelson show. good times, good times.

i missed all but the last one and a half songs of the first opening act (not a fan) but managed to catch the second opening act, newton faulkner. he's fantastic. such charm, such wit. and i'm pretty sure artists hate when you make comparisons, but i'm also pretty sure he'll never read this, so i'm going to do it anyway. he reminds me a lot of john butler trio. now, i'm no guitar officionado, in fact i'm about the furthest thing from it, but to my untrained ears, the sound is similar. that said, newton faulkner live is ALWAYS worth the price of admission. check him out.

such a jolly troubadour, that newton.

and then there's ingrid. dear, darling ingrid. i like to call her sass with spectacles. okay, that was kinda lame. bottom line, the girl is a riot! i was lovin' her wit almost as much as her music. there's something about artists that are not only self-aware but can laugh at themselves that is just super endearing. she definitely knows how to connect with her audience. it helps when you're music isn't half-bad, either. in miss michaelson's case, she's the total package. her vocals are strong - she's got that low-ish gorgeous voice that jumps up into a higher register in the blink of an eye. it's pretty amazing. and the laughs keep coming. like i said, good times.

and yes, that just so happens to be a ukelele. clearly, ingrid michaelson is a woman of many talents.

prop 8 schennanigans

for the past couple of weeks, i've done my hour of calls alone. in my room. with no friends about me. it was easier that way. more focused. i was happy to make calls. excited even.

can you see the excitement?

and then the power calling began. it opened my eyes to a whole new world. a world of...power. and calling. and power calling parties. if i'd known power calling and the parties they inspired were going to be so super fab, i'd have done a calling party a lot sooner. believe that.

here's how it went down. after many hours of calling, i was very tired and a little headachy.

katie k. was kind enough to give me a head massage while i called.

after a few minutes, i was feeling better already. rejuvenated even. can't you see the glow of rejuvenation surrounding me?

then katie h. wanted in on the fun. who was i to deny her an opportunity to serve? every prop 8 caller deserves a foot rub.


then allie tried to force the napkin into submission and turn it into a fan. not so successful, but she gets an e for effort. and an a+ for all around cuteness!

and finally, aubrey joined the group. i've always loved a good hand massage.

do you like how we're all "calling" during this schennanigan? yeah, me too. such focus, such dedication. i'm happy to announce that after our little breaktime funny and a few giggles, we were back to work. and then at 9pm when the calling was over...group shot!

don't you just love calling parties? i know i do.

sexy men, sexy music.

summer and i made the trek up to LA for the jason mraz concert. after a stop at tito's and a side trip to westwood, we were off to the greek. good times, to be sure. there's something so delightfully old soul about jason. oh, and the boy can move! most entertaining.

before that, i was pleasantly surprised to hear that two spot gobi, along with lisa hannigan, was opening for j. mraz. i came across their music awhile ago by way of a link to a link to a link. love the sound, love the vibe. and they're nice guys, to boot! be sure to take a gander a la itunes or myspace.

halloweenie hilarity.

because i couldn't be satisfied with just one costume, angel and i rolled into work on friday as the mario bros. you know you love it. my boss may or may not have paid me for the schennanigan. no, really. like outside of my regular wage. i love my job.


the halloween parties were a myriad of scantily clad, ukelele playing men on roller skates.


and fire blowing voodoo men.


and kings of kong.


the freaks really do come out at night. halloween night, anyway. and i wouldn't have missed it for the world.

carve your candidate

wanna use a pumpkin to show your passion for palin? the brilliance of barak? click HERE.

dream big, people.

why would you be satisfied with any ol' jack-o-lantern?


when you could have a barak-o-lantern?


or a barak-o-biden-lantern?


and, being the political neutralist that i am, i'm still lookin' for the mccain-o-palin-lantern. any takers?

snadorable.

she's works hard for the money.

sometimes at work, i get to draw pictures. it's embarassing. what's so bad about drawing pictures, you ask. well, nothing. as long as you're not attempting to recreate structural and architectural drawings with nothing more than a piece of paper, a pen (no room for mistakes) and the skills i picked up in my drafting classes.

wait, i didn't take drafting classes. uh-oh.

prepare yourself.

exhibit a.


this is the most recent photographic evidence of my idiocy. apparently, i couldn't be bothered to use a ruler during this creative process. in addition, i basically asked the architect to do something that may not even be possible structurally. i can only imagine the guffaws emitted on the receiving end of that email. buh.

by the way, i'm sure you realized, but it's not to scale.

i love my job.

countdown to election day.

as most of you know, we're in a countdown to election day. i'm ashamed to admit, but this is one of the first years i've been aware of the political issues on the table and really made an effort to educate myself. better late than never, right? it's been very enlightening to listen to debates, read articles and even do some campaigning related to the november 4 election. as we get closer and closer to the big day, there have been a frenzy of pep-imbibed emails being sent out about keepin' the momentum right up until the last possible millisecond. it's the final countdown, people!

which makes this juicy bit even more applicable...sort of.



if that's not inspiring, i don't know what is!

hello lover.

uuuuhrka.

this is my coworker erica. she makes me laugh. a lot. we're friends 'cause she laughs at all my jokes. even the dumb ones. and sometimes she laughs even when i don't make jokes. it's funny. but sometimes she doesn' laugh. like, when i screw up the billing or don't approve my invoices on time. mostly, we just laugh.
erica has a new best friend. her name is valentina. erica loves valentina more than all the cholulas in the whole world. now, erica says: "cholula who? have you met my friend valentina?" whenever she says that, we laugh.

desperate attempts at opposition.

i've recently had an opportunity to work with victims of vandalizing in conjunction with YES on proposition 8. i am shocked and appalled by the reports rolling in of slashed tires, broken windows, swastikas on fences and much more. so, when i saw this video this morning, i had to laugh. and then post it straightaway.



in the final days of the fight for this cause, we must not lose our momentum. sure, opposers can steal our signs, slash our tires and break our windows, but they can never, NEVER take our voices! and, ultimately, that's what this is all about - preserving an individuals right to speak freely. regardless of your sexual orientation, will you allow that right to be taken away?
vote YES on prop 8.

top that.

in case you can't tell, i've spent a good portion of the past week blogging about pop culture and other frivolities. maybe i'm subconsciously trying to add levity after days of political blogging. or maybe i'm attempting to drown my general dissatisfaction with my life in an endless round of pop music videos, dreamboat pics of lee pace and videos of snl skits. who knows? at any rate, i'm only mildly embarrassed to share my love of all things pop culture with the world.

for today, i hearken back to the days of acid washed jeans and hot pink scrunchies. you know you love it. listen up, ladies. there's some very insightful dialogue about men in here. can anyone name this movie?



oh, and for all you worried mother-types out there, i'm not dissatisfied with my life. maybe just mildly annoyed that i can't find an occupation that requires me to lay out on the beach, sipping fruity beverages and chatting on facebook all day. if you have that job and your company has any openings, you let me know. in the meantime, just know that i love my life. even if i do have to do my own laundry and scrub my own toilets. it's my trial to endure. yes, pity me.

happy birthday, shari!

shari is the cutest sister-in-law a girl could ask for! she is all sweetness and love. and, in case you haven't noticed, she's currently incubatin' some more nephews for me! yep, we're havin' twins! she's been a most fantastic addition to the family! well done, benny-boy. well done!

think of lee, think of lee fondly.

meet lee pace. object of my latest obsession. if you're ever going to have a celebrity crush, he's the man to be crushin' on. as ned the piemaker in pushing daisies, he's quite delicious. throw a little moody pianist in the mix a la miss pettigrew lives for a day and i'm sunk.

i rarely get celebrity crushes. or crushes at all, for that matter. but, on the off chance that i DO develop a crush, it generally becomes an obsession. i'll gorge myself on the object of my affection well past the line of ridiculousness. i can't help it, i have an addictive personality. in the case of celebrity crushes, i'll google them, rent every movie they've ever starred in and bring him up in conversations as much as possible. like i said, ridiculous.

i won't tell you what i do when i have a real life crush. like with someone that i actually interact with on a regular basis. it's scary. no, really. you'd be scared. anyway. back to lee.

i've been exceptionally obsessed the past few weeks. it could be that pushing daises has started a new season and i'm getting a regular dose. or it could be that i just happened to see that target has miss pettigrew on sale right now. whatever the reason, tonight, as i settle into my bed with a diet coke in my hand and lee pace on the telly, i sigh with a silly little grin and dream of life as mrs. lee pace. what? it could happen.

if only he'd answer one of the six hundred and forty three letters i've sent. i'm sure he's just busy. you know, bein' a celebrity and all.

who's your celebrity crush?

scooby dooby doo.

the week in videos.

okay, i'm totally obsessed with beyonce's single ladies (put a ring on it) music video right now. more specifically, i'm obsessed with beyonce's body in the video right now. she looks UH-mazing! not a jiggly bit on her. seriously. ridicalous. i'm embarrassed enough to be blogging about it, so i couldn't possibly post the video.

no really. i couldn't possibly.

too embarrassing.

i couldn't.

oh, alright. but don't watch it if you're in any way sensitive to divalicious women wearing what equates to about as much as a swimming suit while shakin' what her mama (and personal trainer) gave her. i'm just sayin' - i never pretended to be something other than a total pop culture fanatic.

roll it.



now that i'm thoroughly depressed by the fact that i'll never have legs like beyonce, please excuse me while i drown my sorrows in saltines and water.

halloween festivating.

oh, man. knott's scary farm got the juices flowin' last week and it just keeps gettin' better! the halloween party invites are rollin' in and i'm getting more excited by the minute! i've even managed to show a couple of halloween grinches the joys of dressing up - robot costume, anyone? in true paula fashion, i have two halloween costumes - le work costume and le weekend party costume. it's gonna be good times. good times, indeed. and yes, there will be photos. lots and lots of photos. stay tuned!

ridiculous, i know.

edward cullen has ruined me for any other man. yes, i realize that he's a fictional character. doesn't matter. if he's not edward, i'm not interested.

day o' politics.

i'm not usually too big on politics (yeah, yeah - shame on me, i know), but this year i've watched a good portion of all the debates and spent some time readin' up on all the candidates and their campaigns. my favorite part about keepin' up with the campaigning is that the snl skits are so much funnier. no, seriously, they are. anyway. a lot has been said about sarah palin - good and bad. regardless of whether or not you love her, you're gonna love this video.

prop 8 fashion

who says prop 8 politicos can't be fashionistas, too? not i. i'm not generally one to wear my heart on my sleeve. or my cause on my shirt, for that matter. but these prop 8 shirts are cute, inexpensive and for a good cause. what more reason do you need?

warms the heart, eh?

hey batter, batter.

just two weeks ago (give or take), the single adults of the church were counseled to invest a HUGE amount of time promoting prop 8 in any and every way possible. on sunday, the leaders of the church narrowed our focus a bit - we have been asked to make over 1 million phone calls leading up to the november 4 vote. from reminding the YES voters to actually vote to explaining to the undecided voters why it's so important to vote YES, there'll be many calls made over the next two weeks.
yesterday, was the first day of the new campaign and, i must admit, it wasn't too bad. there's a new-fangled internet system that initiates all the calls. all you have to do is wait for it to connect and jump right into the schpiel. and considering that in addition to yesterday, i'll be making calls today and tomorrow and the next day and the next day and many days after that until november 4, i'm glad the powers that be have made it easy on me. yeah, i'm lazy like that.
i'm so proud of all the single adults that have stepped up to the plate. mind you, there have been some grumblers - and admittedly, i haven't always been the sunshiniest about it - but for the most part, people are pushin' up their sleeves and gettin' to work. it's a sight to see.
now, if only i could get them all to choir.