Busy at work

I love to read my horoscopes (I have a couple favorite sites I visit from time to time). I hadn't been on Jonathan Cainer's site in a long time and I noticed they did some revamping so I decided to try out the new "Love & Friendship" section and plugged in some names and signs to see what Jonathan had to say about them. Then I decided to put in my own name and see what he might be telling people about me, because I'm so sure people are plugging my stats into the astrology computer to analyze my potential as a mate or whatever.

Here's what he said:

Amber Abramson will never grow up, and nor would we ever want her to. It is Amber's ability to be innocently fun-loving and childlike that makes her so endearing. Amber Abramson is extremely clever and sophisticated. There is, after all, a very big difference between being childlike and being childish. Amber is open minded, unselfish and able somehow to approach each new day with a spirit of real, fresh inspiration. That explains why Amber enjoys life so much and it also explains why other people, looking at Amber's life from a distance, cannot understand why she enjoys it so much. Those of us who know and love Amber Abramson find her enigmatic, mysterious or even downright baffling. We can't help liking her, but nor can we quite manage to work out where she is at, where she is coming from, what she is up to or what she is in to. Amber's tastes and preferences are what some people would call eclectic, others would term unusual and most folk would classify as 'just plain weird.' Amber, though, is consistent in her inconsistency. There is method to her madness. Amber is interested in - even fascinated by - so many strange, different topics and subjects because Amber is such a natural experimenter.

Amber doesn't need to travel the world in search of variety. Amber can wake up one morning feeling quite sure that she is one particular kind of person. By the afternoon she will be someone else. Her personality will not change, her loyalty will not waver but her mood will evolve allowing her to explore, enthusiastically, ways of behaviour which only a few hours ago seemed unattractive. Thus Amber Abramson creates a world in which there is constant variety and excitement. Boring people, who like to follow life's laws to the letter and stick rigidly to one fixed plan find Amber Abramson hard to handle or even to relate to. People with a sense of adventure, a sense of imagination and, most importantly of all a sense of humour, cannot get enough of Amber's company.

It's mostly true actually. Execpt for the part about not needing to travel the world.

Back

I made it back from Canada. It was freezing. The trip was actually way better than expected. Everyone was exactly as I had remembered them. I picked up some new Yiddish words like Kvetch (to complain) and Billabous (must mean housekeeper because my grandmother kept calling me that as I cleaned the kitchen after dinner - this is a high complement over there). Anyhow, this trip was a festival of Judaism like I have never known (not that I've ever known much). Angelo met about 100 cousins for the first time, ranging in ages from 3 to 90 yrs. old (very unlike some of his other relatives which include an ex-con uncle and Auntie Chola who rolls up in a low-rider on hydraulics with her 3 kids in the back). My grandparents both had about a dozen siblings each (old world style), most of them are not around anymore but the number of resulting offspring is daunting. The wedding was like a celebration out of a modern day Fiddler on the Roof and the feverish dancing of men and women in separate circles totally blew Angelo's mind. My cousin looked super happy and her husband seems really nice, they're a cute couple. I was super into seeing everyone dance dance dance and I joined the ladies circle for a bit and improvised my folk-style moves, I don't think anyone noticed. The whole thing may have blown anyone's mind that hadn't ever been to real Jewish wedding before, not that I have but I've seen Fiddler on The Roof enough times.

Celebrations on my mother's side (the Nicaraguan side) of the family are an entirely different sort of party. My brother's wedding had a mariachi band, salsa dancing (no celebration is complete without this), rounds of tequila being passed around, he and his wife danced to Suavecito, and certain guests and in-laws never even took off their locs.

Btw, the Albert Camus audiobook was rad. His style appears to be super simple but it's totally intentional and I'm sure most of you have probably read it in school or something but I didn't because I was too busy being a rebellious and delinquent teenager at the time and figured I'd read it later so I won't bore you with the storyline. So I guess I can cross that book off my list now. It would be interesting to see the Cliff Notes on this one. If you still have them, send them to me and I mail them back to you. The address is on the Busy-Being homepage.

Tomorrow is going to suck

We've been working like crazy at New Image to get ready for Cleon Peterson's show this weekend - which I will be missing, and our 15 Year Anniversary show on the 24th. Yesterday I worked from 8:30am - 9pm, came home, walked the dog, visited with Angelo, attempted to pack but didn't get far, forgot to eat dinner, took a shower, and crashed out. Up again at 5am today to get ready for school, blah, blah, blah.

I just pulled up my itinerary for tomorrow's journey to Toronto, decided I'd check us in and peep our seat assignments. My dad booked this flight - or rather 3 FLIGHTS as I have just discovered! Holy Shit! Thanks Dad. Our 1st flight leaves LAX at 5:50am, meaning we need to get there around 4am - excluding the getting to the long term parking and then catch a shuttle situation. Angelo and I both had middle seats in different rows so I paid $50 to get us aisle seats across from each other. We have less than 1hr to catch a connecting flight in Minneapolis (weather conditions could be shady), then off to Detroit (weather conditions?) where we have about 40min to catch the yet another flight before arriving in Toronto. It is 12 degrees there today, at least it's getting warmer.

The Stranger

I thought I would just quickly purchase an audio book at the iTunes store but I ended up spending almost 2 hours reading synopsis and user comments on dozens of books. It was really hard to decide and some people made negative comments about the narrators, which I never really took into consideration but I guess if they sucked they could potentially ruin the entire story for me. I finally decided on "The Stranger" by Albert Camus (unabridged). I have million great books to catch up on and Albert did win the Nobel prize and this one had lots of stars on all the user reviews. I'll let you know how it went.

Today I IM'd with David online while he was on a plane to NY and was simultaneously IMing with a friend in Johannesburg, all while sitting at my desk in Santa Monica. Technology is amazing.

On an unrelated note, I have a really hard time getting up in the morning. Especially at the ungodly hour of 5am, which is when Angelo and I have to get up and get ready for school since it's across town. We carpool with my mom-friend Angja and her daughter Azara and this morning Angja was pissed at me because we're always late to school on the mornings I drop the kids off. So when she called at 5:30am to make sure I was up she reminded me how much stress I'm causing her and that the kids actually got in trouble at school on Monday for being so late. In my rush to walk the dog, get all my shit together, and make sure Angelo had all his shit together I totally ran out of the house without my phone, or my hot cup of tea that I was really looking forward to! We were on time though.

this must be from florida

ok.
i was gonna blog about this on my own blog. but i am on a plane right now, probably over nebraska or something. and for some reason it's not working. so i'll put it here. plus, maybe my mom doesn't need to see this.
the dude i work for just got an offer to play probably the shittiest festival ever.
and this band is on the bill. i saw this awhile ago and i really thought it was a joke. but it's not.

my only problem with this vid is that if these dudes went around and screamed "LIAR" at girla and tried to choke them, in the real world, they would totally get beat down by a girl.

The gift

So I got all these iTunes gift cards from people over the holidays and I've decided to purchase an audiobook for my flight. Super excited about this.

Getting ready to meet the Russians

I'm leaving for Toronto on Friday morning to visit my father's side of the family. They're Canadians obviously but 1st generation out of Belarus. I haven't been back there since I was 17. One of my cousins is getting married and my dad thought it was a good time for me to make an appearance and for the rest of the family to finally meet Angelo. I'm getting prepared by doing laundry, and trying to clean up the house because I hate coming home to a big mess and am mentally preparing for a long weekend of Yiddish accentuated nit-picking and bickering or that's just how they converse but it always sounds like an argument, and 10 degree weather. BTW, it's in the high 70's in LA right now, I have all the windows open and am hanging out in a tank top and shorts.

And, did you see that David is also randomly posting on here too? I asked him to and Sonya too, although Sonya hasn't accepted her invite yet. They're the two biggest champions of the internet I know but my world may be very small.

OH HAI.

hey. amber told me i could post some shit on here i find on the internet. i am not sure if this is what she meant, but i am gonna do it anyway.
first. here is a recipe for one of the things my mom used to make me make for dinner. in like 1980. last year i dated a really nice girl for a minute. i made her make this for me. then i dumped her a couple weeks later. not cause the "tuna crunch pie" didn't taste good, it was perfect. there probably wasn't a good reason. she picked me up for a yoga class yesterday, a year after getting dumped by me, she dropped a "guy i'm seeing" reference. i thought that was cool.
anyway... tuna crunch pie. it's good.

two... amber doesn't get LOLCATZ. but they are hiring.
INVISUHBL JOB

i'll probably use this space to rip on my mom a little bit. since she is always commenting on my blog

Xmas time photos

Bebe the Persian Cat posing with Angelo's new medieval weapons but I think she was actually trying to claim them, look at the menacing look in her eye (the one without the cataract). Bebe doesn't take any shit okay!

My mother, about to be 60 and still hot. Even with a fleece beanie on.

Ma' boo, who looks just like my mother.

And Bebe again, just because she's hot.

My cousin Eli and his daughter Anella who is only 3 and has already been recruited to become the next child star of the Philippines. I have a video of her performing at her hula recital she's a natural. I'll try to upload it but don't hold your breath.

Indian Thriller

Thanks David.

Child elopers' Africa plan foiled

Two German children - aged five and six - have been stopped by police from eloping to Africa to tie the knot in the sun, reports say.

The budding lovebirds, identified as Mika and Anna-Lena, packed bathing costumes, sunglasses and a lilo and headed for the airport.

They even had the presence of mind to invite along an official witness - Anna-Lena's seven-year-old sister.

The three got as far as Hanover railway station before police intervened.

The young couple were "very much in love" and had decided to get married in Africa "where it is warm", police spokesman Holger Jureczko told the AFP news agency.

Sun-seekers

The idea for the getaway wedding was born as the children's families celebrated New Year's eve together and Mika regaled the two girls with stories of a recent holiday to Italy.

The following morning, as their parents slept, the intrepid trio walked 1km (0.6 miles) to the local tram station at Langenhagen, where they hopped aboard a tram for Hanover central station.

But the group aroused the suspicion of a guard as they waited for a train to the airport, and police were called in.

Officers persuaded the children they would not get far without tickets and money, but consoled them with a free tour of the police station, where they were shortly picked up by relieved parents.

Although any marriage plans have been put on hold for now, police did not altogether rule out the possibility of an African wedding.

"They can still put their plan into action at a later date," AFP quoted the spokesman as saying.

Older pics I meant to post

Urban camping on our rooftop. This pic is so dark you probably can't even see the tent unless you look into the darkness - really hard. This was super fun and before it got too cold and rainy. One night Kelsey Brookes came and camped out too.

Time to wake up and get ready for school.


Sophia (aka Chubby Rain) is getting bigger and cuter every minute.


This species of insect (alien) lives in my building, in my entire life I have never seen another one like it anywhere. Some of them are really big!! It kind of looks like a cross between a shrimp and a centipede right? To find one in your house is really terrifying. Does anyone what the hell this is?
Angelo took a poster making class with Mike Mills in one of the "Make Something" workshops. Here is the fruit of his labor from that afternoon which he put outside of a sushi restaurant. When we drove by that night someone had already taken it down. I tried to explain that such is the life of public art.

Our cat Bubulla seducing the camera.



On one of those long weekends I went to the gun range with David. This is my target! I think it's pretty tough, aside from that one in the forehead I totally nailed him between his mouth and nose! There's another one where I got him in the knuckle!


Famina aka hot mom

Dana's baby boy, Branden.

Bebe the Persian Cat lives with my mom and step dad along with Dolly the Australian Shepperd.

Visiting my grandma, we went out for ice-cream.

Poor Ginger got into brawl with Agnes (Julie's pitt) and they can no longer be friends. Her neck was all shaved with a tube in it, it was pretty terrible and Ginger was completely bummed out for weeks.



In Austin visiting my friend Matthew.

The things children do for stuffed animals

Angelo just showed me this video! Watch the entire video.

It's Saturday night

Angelo and I met up with Julie at Philippe's tonight for a French Dip aka stomach bomb with blue cheese. I love that place but I'm pretty sure I'll be paying for it soon. Was trying to decide what to do afterwards but seeing as it's FREEZING cold in LA right now and Marsea has lent me her neighbor's copy of Benjamin Buttons I made the executive decision to curl up and watch this 3 hour movie together. I'll probably fall asleep in the first 20min as usual.

Digging through pics

Chris Glancy, Jesse Spears, Kime Buzzelli, Yours truly

I just found this pic on Marsea's blog from Miami while at work today (Marsea was bumping Kanye and we had a 2 person office dance party). Over the next few days I'll upload all the rest of the pics that I've been meaning to get around to.

It's true

Thursday morning, my hotel room - jus' kiddin

Jim Dine

Man style

Kelsey and Lenny planned on dressing as twinsies

Bryan Ray + wifey

Marsea, Michael and Pepper jump in the sack

Lenny, Kelsey, Mark, Glancy, Kime

Friends With You:

Meet a cute guy on the street

stranger with funny t-shirt

another casual encounter on the street

Kime Babezelli