air mattress living

i'm back! (how many times am i going to keep saying this??)

2010-08-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

i have kicked my jewelry making into high gear!

what do you guys think?

constructive criticism is encouraged/appreciated!

this is one of my personal favs
now just time for some more professional photos
all of these pieces are available for sale (duh!)

check out my store :)

xoxo mel

bon voyage!

2010-06-25T17:21:00.001-07:00

make your own note here

look at this stuff, isn't it neat

2010-06-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

wouldn't you think my collection's complete

wouldn't you think i'm a girl

a girl who has everything

or maybe just a girl with toooo much free time on her hands :)

my newest creation

2010-06-25T11:24:00.001-07:00

check out my latest creation

what do you think?
i already have a wonderful customer that is willing to buy it!!

more designs soon to come!

day dreaming

2010-06-23T17:33:00.001-07:00

champagne taste
(purse blog)

on a boone's farm budget

show me the money

2010-06-16T15:05:00.001-07:00

ok well you give me your money and i'll give you some jewelry. how about that ?

(moonstones & peruvian opals)

since i have SO much free time, i figured it was time to start a hobby.

(this can come in ANY color)

if you haven't figured it out already, my new hobby is making jewelry.

(fresh water pearls)
like what you see?

(smokey & rose quartz)
you can buy it at my etsy shop.

(my line is called lemel)

obviously right now it's still in the beta phase (i know these pics are complete crap), but i will have more designs before you know it!

lemme know what you think? i'm an open book and need some feedback people!

explore

2010-06-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

ummmmmm where am i going next???

i bet you can't guess :)
kayak explore is my new favorite feature

count dracula

2010-06-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

is it just me, or is this vampire thing getting a little out of control?

i mean i do love my true blood, but an aladdin vampire...not so much.

did i mention true blood premies this sunday, june 13... monday for all those (me) hulu watchers

all this vampire talk is making me crave some cereal

i'm baaaaaack

2010-06-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

After a few months (ok, maybe 6) I've decided to start posting again. I took a minor break from the blogging when I started my new job back in the fall. However, after many requests, or laziness from copying and pasting the same thing into every g chat conversation, I've decided to jump back on the blogging band wagon.

Here is how I started my Monday morning. The dress code at my office is very socal casual, if you will. Basically you wear whatever you want. Last week someone was walking around bare foot all day, no joke. I always try to dress "cute" for work, but don't let your imagination run wild here, you will never see me in heels. As you can imagine, not all of my Texas outfits fit into my new socal dress code, but I'm trying to make it work here. I haven't purchased my converses quite yet, but that's only because I'm still deciding on a color.

In an effort to make my jcrew cotton dress look a little more edgy and "cool," I decided to wear my new favorite flats (that I purchased in Texas by the way).
I've been getting mixed reactions on these puppies, but you know me, I don't give a shit, and more importantly, when would the Olsen twins steer me wrong. I'm a big fan of their line Elizabeth and James. I like them, and if you don't, keep your comments to yourself, or more simply gfy. Last night I was walking around Santa Monica and a young man stopped me and told me how much he liked my shoes. That made me especially happy since I was walking alongside a certain roommate (sister) of mine that does not particularly care for them.

I was feeling good (=fashionable) when I zipped these puppies up this morning (Yes, they have zippers on the back). I'm making my green tea and minding my own business, when a chatty co-worker of mine walks by starts the usual Monday morning weekend small talk. He begins to walk away and then does a double take and says "Oh my gosh what did you do to your ankles? Are you ok?" I, of course, am like my ankles wtf is this loon talking about, and then I look down and realize I'm wearing my olsen shoes. Oh joy. He thinks my fashionable gladiator sandals are ankle braces.

I mean, really?

Did I mention this was the co-worker who threw up in our workout class last week? Oh no I didn't because he swore me to secrecy. I guess the joke is on him :)

Get off your Buns this Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T11:14:00.000-08:00

Who's with me??? Come on everyone from Houston... you all know you want to run a 10k/5k tomorrow, Thanksgiving morning. What a great way to start a day of feasting! My parents use to make us run the Turkey Trot every year, and we hated it! I vaguely remember one year prentedning I had a severe fever so I got to sleep in my dad's car while everyone else ran. Yes, that was back in the day where it was socially acceptable for parents to leave their children in the cars. Now, not so much....

It's not too late to sign up! Register in person at Luke's Locker in the River Oaks Shopping Center. Oh, and if you do not live in Houston, no worries....Turkey Trots go on in cities across the nation. Go to www.active.com to see where your local trot takes place. :)

A small crew and I will be sporting some holiday cheer while we participate in the 10k. It's always more fun in costume....

See ya there!

Happy Friday :)

2009-11-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

THIS is pure amaziness and makes me question why I still don't live there?

What is it with LA and Food Trucks?

2009-11-10T15:29:00.000-08:00

The biggest fad I have noticed since living here (besides Fedoras) is Food Trucks. People are obsessed with them, and almost every reputable establishment has one. Imagine a Fletcher’s Truck on South Congress for every First Friday and after every football game. Maybe these Californians are onto something…..

Not only do the trucks ride around all of Los Angeles during the peak lunch time, they can also be ordered for catering, and park on major streets for festivals. Jennifer’s office apparently hasn’t been affected by this ‘credit crunch’ and they cater lunch every day for their 200+ employees. The food is usually pretty standard, meaning I never hear what she has for lunch. However, on a rare occasion they really like to splurge and a few weeks ago they ordered the In ‘n Out Truck. I swear she was talking about this truck for 10 days and could not wait for the day to finally come. Jennifer was not the only one in her office excited by this either, Californians cannot get enough of these food trucks! Some have lines that are at least twenty people deep.

When I first moved out here, I remember a friend telling me the food trucks are so good. I immediately furrowed my brow and reminisced back to sophomore year when the damn taco truck would ride up to the construction site across from the Texan and play its little taco music. Little did I know food trucks in LA are gourmet (but I should have been able to guess that).

the grilled cheese truck & the masses

This past weekend in Venice was First Friday, which is similar to Austin’s First Thursday. The food trucks were tweeting all day about where they were going to be parked, and Jennifer had an email chain rolling around 2pm on which truck she was going to go to. I still was not too keen on the idea of eating at one of these ‘restaurants’ on wheels, but whatever when in Rome, right? We waited in line for I kid you not 45 minutes at the grilled cheese truck. JP ordered the Big Kahuna of grilled cheeses. It was filled with cheese (duh), macaroni & cheese, and pulled pork-- she wasn’t playing around. I went for a more basic tomato caprese grilled cheese. People were custom ordering their grilled cheese like they were at McDonalds. There was a wide variety of breads, cheeses, add-ins, desert grilled cheeses, pickles, tators tots, and the list goes on…. After our long wait and toughing through the line, we were expecting the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the world. Well, they sucked. The cheese in JP’s was not even melted. My first food truck experience was a total bust. Next time I am not basing my truck decision on the one with the longest line since that test clearly failed.

Here were some other trucks parked along the street that were not as crowded and probably much better.
Border Grill knew what was up...margs and tacos

Dogtown DOGS...how did I not eat at a truck w/ such a cute name?

korean bbq anyone?

I wish this truck was there!

Sprinkles Cupcake Truck...where were you on 11/7/09 at 8pm?

Does anyone remember when I had the genius idea of making a food truck in Austin that specialized in late night? Does Mel Mel’s Munchies ring a bell? Since LA thinks food trucks are cool that means the rest of the world will too. Maybe I should move home and start up Mel Mel’s Munchies…. Anyone interested in investing??

A Tardy Halloween Post

2009-11-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

I apologize again for my tardiness. Happy (week and a bit after) Halloween! The past two Halloweens have been a total bust for me, so this year I really had to step it up. Last year I was in Australia waiting tables at the infamous Bondi Tucker, and I think the year before I had an exam…needless to say they both were boring.

I always put the pressure on myself to come up with a great costume. I think costumes out of a bag are completely unoriginal and lame. My best costume to date was in 2005 when KP, the twins and I were The Facebook. Yes, THE is suppose to be in front of Facebook because 2005 was when you still had to type in www.thefacebook.com. I believe it was right after Halloween that year that the picture feature became available. (Thank you Mark Zuckerberg for not having that available my freshman year!) This was by far the best costume to date. I thought of the idea the day of and it ended up taking us about 7 hours to complete the look.

This year when I was scouring the world wide web for costume inspiration, a friend directed me to American Apparel’s website where they were holding a costume contest. Well, we all know I love a good competition, so I went ahead and entered my Facebook costume. My costume came out with a score of 2.53 out of 4. Not too bad if you ask me, right? It was viewed 6463 times and overall ranked 277/1313. I was proud. Thanks to all of you who voted (and yes I know I am a HUGE dork for entering this)!

Another favorite costume was from 2006 when a group of us dressed as our guy friends. This costume was another success. BTW if you haven’t noticed I judge my success on the creativity scale. Clearly neither of these costumes fit into the sexy Halloween costume category. Maybe it was a little weird that ten cute girls dressed up as nine guys and a golden retriever... but whatever, we all had fun.

This year I decided to be a cast member from my favorite tv show True Blood. I was Sookie (pronounced Ssssoooooookie). It was very fitting actually since last year I was a waitress on Halloween and this year I just dressed up as one. I have to thank Sheriff Jenny and my cousin Stef for helping me with the fake blood and scar. My costume was very well received and great because I was comfortable. I wore Toms and used my apron as my purse. A little tip for people who use the glue on scars next year, take it off after a few cocktails because it isn’t pretty in the am.

The brainstorming has begun for Halloween 2010.

:) Mel

the iphone case that will change the world

2009-11-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

It is week 2 of my “real world” job and time to start blogging. Today has been really slow, so needless to say I have been scouring the world wide web. My find of the day: “THE BEAMER.”

Not only is this product genius, but I think it is also going to spearhead the release of air mattress living 2.0. If you haven’t noticed already, all of the pictures on my blog that are not from the internet come from my iphone. I am not sure why Steve Jobs (named CEO of the century, another fact I read today on cnn.com today) did not think of this himself. I suggest everyone commit to purchasing The Beamer. The Beamer is only $32 and comes with FREE SHIPPING, which we all know is a rarity in this economic climate.

This website is really cool because they have quirky products, hint the name of the site, and once enough people commit to buying the products, they create them. You can even submit suggestions and they will develop your product. My mind is already racing with products I want them to create! Hello world, my next big ideas are going to finally be made into a reality! (ok I might be getting a little ahead of myself here, but you get my point.)

I commited to the lime green. :)

Here is a sampling of some other great quirky products.

Watt time is it?

Shot block: A household staple

Last but not least, the ouch pouch. Very fashionable

15 Minutes of Fame Here I Come!

2009-10-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

Please excuse me for the lack of recent posts. My theory here is quality over quantity. I can’t waste my blog reader’s time with nonsense. Hopefully this post will keep you reading air mattress living and maybe make you laugh, too. :)

When Jennifer first started her new job in LA I was bored and lonely. I maybe heard on the radio there was an open casting call to be on ABC’s Wipeout. I maybe was considering trying out….but then a hang over inhibited me from going to the 9am Saturday casting call. However, during one of my day trips to Starbucks, I found myself applying to be a cast member instead of applying for jobs. The application process was fairly simple. You just had to answer some basic questions and then submit photos of yourself. I of course scoured my 1,543 pictures on facebook and found some real classics that I knew Wipeout would love. Needless to say, after submitting the application, the show had no crossed my mind.

Yesterday I started my new job, my new real job. I have a cubicle, a work email address, and am actually going to order business cards. This is the real deal. Out of the blue, on day 2 at the office, I get a random missed called from a number in Burbank, CA. On my lunch break I check my voicemail, and someone from Wipeout wants to axe, I mean ask, me a few questions. My jaw literally drops. Three and half months after I submitted an online application they call, oh and on the second day of my new job. This has to be a joke.

I call them back to see what is going on. It turns out they had a series of questions to ask me before I could proceed to the next level.

· Do you have health insurance? (red flag #1)

· Do you have any knee, should or back injuries? (hmmm)

· Have you had any major surgeries in the last ten years? (ok so maybe this isn’t such a good idea)

· Oh, and can you swim? (oh, never mind totally legit!)

I passed this rigorous test with flying colors, and they want to have me audition for the show on Friday. Of course I said I would be there. I mean the chance to be on national tv and to win $50,000!! Ummmm, hello. I have no shame and field day was always my favorite day in lower school. Surely I can win this game. However, reality set in, and it probably isn’t the best idea to leave work early on my first week to try out for reality tv. This was my chance for those 15 minutes. Oh well.....

Watch Out Hollywood, Here I Come!

2009-10-14T09:00:00.001-07:00

I am sure most of you did not know that as a child I was an aspiring actress. You are probably wondering right now how you did not already know this. Well, I was very humble, and…..my career was very short lived. After going home this weekend and visiting Houston, I thought I might bring my old head shots back to LA and try out this whole ‘acting’ thing again.

I think this headshot will still work, don’t you? I might just comment on the back that I no longer own my GAP suspenders and had braces. I think if I stuck with my talent Hilary Duff would have had some serious competition.

If you are wondering where you would have seen me during my thriving days, well it was not very main stream. I was in an ad for a company called Venture (they no longer exist but were essentially another Target) holding a thing of Gak with my fake family. That was my biggest role (well, and maybe my only role). Now I am much more knowledgeable and am living in the city where dreams come true. Next stop Hollywood baby!

Blogosphere meet KP, KP meet Blogosphere. Happy Thursday

2009-10-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

By the way, who took this pictures? Please tell me you did not use your self timer.

If this doesn't make you laugh, I'm not sure what will.
love you KP! xoxo mel mel

The Diary of a Shop Attendant: Chapter 2

2009-10-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend an elderly lady came into the store and successfully slid a sly one past us, well actually not me, my co-worker. The woman was all frazzled because she drove 25 miles to get to the store in time and realized she was three days past her return date. My co-worker bought her frazzled, traffic, driving, old lady story and let her exchange the bag for a different one. Apparently the one she wanted to return has been ‘sitting’ on her shelf and just isn’t right for her. At this point I am avoiding the return situation since no one has taught me how to do returns this really isn’t my problem.

Well, on Monday, a shipment of bags comes in and the manager is putting them out on the floor and rearranging the displays. While I am helping a customer my boss whispers in my ear to go in the back when I have a second and see what I find in the inside pocket of a purse she has just set back there. I am of course nervous and assume whatever I find will be alive. That is not the case. I quickly walk to the back because impatient me can’t wait to see what is there and look what I find:

If you are still staring and not sure what that is….. there are THREE sanitary napkins inside the purse. SICK. NASTY. That happens to be the exact purse the frantic old lady returned over the weekend. There are so many things wrong with this picture it is not even funny. First of all, frantic old lady is a liar because clearly she used the purse. Why does such an old lady have maxi pads (sick, the word of the post)? How did my co-worker that accepted the return not find them? Keep in mind next to the maxi pads is the price tag that my co-worker PUT INSIDE THE BAG.

A few lessons to take home from this lovely tale: 1. Empty all pockets of a purse when you decide to return it after you have already worn it, and 2. Check inside all the pockets before you buy it. No one wants a “gift with purchase.”

Until next time.

xoxo mel

Dear Uhaul, I hate you.

2009-10-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

I have decided that renting a Uhaul is just about the worst thing in the world. Worse than calling At&t, trust me on this one. Last Friday the jewelry store was slow so I got to head out early. I had big plans on going for a run and then maybe taking a nap before the Robert Earl Keen concert that night. All those dreams were crushed when JP declared I go rent a Uhaul to finally pick up a couch from my cousin Stef’s apartment. (Keep in mind Stef has been storing this couch for us in her kitchen for 6 months). I figured this would not be that big of a hassle since I am practically a Uhaul expert. However, I was sadly mistaken. Once again I walked over to the Uhaul store and saw some familiar faces. The line was quite long so I was already getting annoyed. I tried to patiently wait, but then again, Melanie and patience do not really go together now do they. I begin to overhear the rather older lady in front of me complaining to the lovely Uhaul employee. Naturally, I whipped out my i-phone because I knew this was going to be an excellent blog topic, and pictures are always helpful. I decided to take a picture of each individual that was holding up the line, as they both are uniquely disturbing.

This lady, lets call her Gertrude, could not wrap her hands around the concept of a debit card. When you rent a Uhaul they charge your card a projected amount, and then when you return the vehicle your card either gets a refund or charged more, based on your usage. Well that concept was way over Gertrude’s head. Can we first look at her outfit? She is wearing high heels, with a cane, while moving. Interesting. She also has a sweat rag on her left shoulder…sick. She’s sporting a scruncie on her wrist and has an obnoxious sun hat. Besides her major fashion feaux paus, Gertrdue is flat out dumb. I am not kidding I almost went up to her and said listen here…this is how it works. However, her lovely son, who is not pictured, decided to come up and remedy the situation…right. He was just as bad with his curly ponytail and holey t-shirt. I was lucky enough to stand next to them when it was finally my turn to be helped and got to hear their conversation first hand. He was telling Gertrude how he enjoys working with cash only to avoid these debit card situations. He then preceded to say how he actually prefers to pay with gold and would just like to chip off from a gold brick what he needs and then they can put it on a scale and call it a day. EXCUSE ME……. I literally was dying laughing. He likes to trade in gold…right. The worst part was no one else in the store found this nearly as funny as me! I mean come on. You would like to rent your Uhaul in gold. After he said that, I was really upset I did snap his photo.

This is a picture of the other individual in line in front of me. That is his calf. I wanted everyone to see this one. No explanation necessary here.

After I finally got the Uhaul, JP thought it would be great idea if I picked her up from work and then she could help with the sofa. That all sounded great until I pulled up to her office building. She works in the same building as CAA, one of the largest talent agencies in LA. Imagine Entourage with a valet parking situation in front where I was instructed to pick her up from. The driveway was filled with Range Rovers, Bentleys, Mercedes, BMWs, you name it, and I was fortunate enough to pull up in my huge Uhaul. FML

The Pritchett Sisters Feng Shui

2009-10-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

Inspiration

Realization

What do you think?
(pretend like I am not super lazy and used a real camera, and not my i-phone)

Amazing.

2009-10-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Because tomorrow is Friday!

I think this beats JP's video.

xoxo Mel

Why I Love The Biggest Loser

2009-09-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don’t my guilty pleasure, it’s The Biggest Loser. I started watching the show when I was studying abroad in Sydney where we only had three channels (no joke). I might have loved TBL Australia because Shannon, the trainer, is a dreamboat. However, I still do enjoy the U.S. rendition. Here’s why:

· I always love a good competition.

· I love watching, reading and learning about fitness. Of course I am that girl that buys every US Weekly & People Magazine about how Kelly Osbourne lost 14 pounds in 10 days.

· The ad plug-ins are hilarious and remind me of the Saved By the Bell episode on subliminal messaging.

· Okay yes I will admit I might feel a little better about myself when watching. I mean I hate to admit it, but we are all thinking it.

· The contestants really do have amazing stories and it is truly unbelievable to see how much weight they lose.

· Somehow these contestants really think there is some huge strategy to winning. Hello, haven’t we all learned by now the key is a balance between diet and exercise, some of us just choose to ignore that formula (especially at 3 a.m. on Friday night at In ‘n Out).

· I really like seeing everyone’s personal temptations. Who knows what mine would be? Done guessing, ok peach cobbler.

· After watching a 2 hour episode I somehow feel like I too have worked out. That maybe isn’t a good thing…

Who I wish wasn't eliminated?

Sean

Why you ask? Because he’s hilarious and said, “I want to take a cupcake and rub it all over my body!”

How can you not love someone that says! He is hilarious and hopefully he didn't go home and actually a rub a cupcake all over his body. I'll miss you and your rosy cheeks Sean.

Who else out there watches TBL? I know there are a few of you out there…

xoxo mel

Furnishing an apartment priority #1: Beach Cruiser!

2009-09-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

Lets disregard the fact I need a desk, dresser, lamp and bedside table. The #1 essential when moving to Santa Monica is a Beach Cruiser. Ever since I came out to LA in July and visited I have been dreaming about getting my very own beach cruiser with a large Dorothy style wicker basket. (Toto will have to come later). I have done extensive research trying to obviously find the best deal on my new cruiser and finally found the ONE.

My personal favorite things about the bike:

1. It is the same color as my mini: Vanilla

2. Although I am not a pink person, I do enjoy the splash of pink on the rims.

3. The detachable wicker basket. (it’s perfect for all those picnics I plan to go on).
4. Ummm duh the cheeseburger bell.

Since this bike has quite a few splashes of pink, I thought a cheeseburger bell would be the perfect final touch to tone down the cruiser. If you think I am never going to ride this thing….you’re wrong. It is now my official means of transportation around this town (unless a hill is involved because I opted out for gears). I ride it to work, the beach, yoga, the grocery store…you name it. If you think this is just a phase, I must prove you wrong once again. Throughout this past year I have really been building up a love of cruising.

March 2009 Cruising in Bali, Indonesia

July 2009 Cruising along the Champs Elysee in Paris, France

If you are now wanting your very own cruiser, I HIGHLY encourage it. Hello my fellow Houstonians, the city is flat, and we all know Austin is prone to bikers. I purchased my bike at Chubby's Cruisers where you two can get one of their 300 different cruisers shipped to you! They also have a fabulous array of bicycle accessories. Oh, and I forgot the best part, they are magicians.

Aluminum beach cruiser $220

Bike Lock: $35

Wicker Basket: $35

Lights: $15

(ticket if I don’t buy lights: $160)

Pump: $20

Cheeseburger bell: $8

Stuffing a beach cruiser into a Mini Cooper: Priceless

xoxo mel

It’s the end of the blog as we know it!

2009-09-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

Ok just kidding.. but I got your attention, didn’t I? It is official, as of Wednesday, September 23, 2009, I am no longer air mattress living. That is right, I have a bed. Not only do I have a bed, but I also have an apartment! It has been a very big week. JP and I moved out of our cousin’s place and into a two bedroom apartment in Santa Monica. I failed to report the move sooner because we were in fact still on the air mattress for a few days. I didn’t want you guys to get too excited there.

It’s funny because just Monday morning I was thinking I could really stay on this air mattress for a while. JP got a bed delivered on Sunday, so I was flying solo on the air mattress. I bought a bed from a friend who moved but had yet to get it because it required me renting a U-Haul (clearly a mattress isn’t going in the mini). Finally on Wednesday I walked to the U-Haul store from my new apt and rented a very fancy truck. I felt very out of place driving the huge thing and definitely opted to get the $10 insurance policy. There was no telling what I was going to hit. However, no worries JP and I successfully moved the bed at 10pm in the dark, with no injuries to the truck, bed, or us. However, a crazy neighbor smoking a cig out her kitchen window did yell at me for blocking the driveway. Can we all imagine the thoughts going through my head. By the way, did I fail to mention that there are TONS of crazies that live by the beach. Yea, so far I have met two: chain smoking lady from last night, and my other crazy neighbor Cassie. Cassie has a black cat who was born on Halloween, and she thinks one day they will fly off on their broomstick together and ride around Santa Monica (no joke, she told me this in the parking lot). So far 0 for 0 on neighbors. Stay tuned.

Anyways, back to the blog subject at hand, my new bed. Waking up this morning in a real live bed was amazing. I think everyone should sleep on an air mattress for a few weeks to truly appreciate their own bed.

Now the age old question: do I change my blog name since the air mattress is no more? Or here’s an idea, I’ll keep it for guests who come visit me. I could even have them guest post onto the blog about their air mattress living trip. No we’re talking. I’m liking this idea. :)

Ok, who is going to book the next flight out here?

One of LA’s vices: T.R.A.F.F.I.C.

2009-09-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

Obviously everyone and their dog knows that Los Angeles is known for its horrendous traffic. So clearly, there has to be at least ONE blog entry about this popular subject. For the record, I would like to start off by saving Houston and Austin are two other cities notoriously known for their traffic, but somehow people don’t harp on that. Having lived in both those cities, I must say LA traffic isn’t THAT bad. I mean it isn’t great, don’t get me wrong. I think the key is to know what you are getting yourself into. For example, when going to and from work in the morning, one must have ample time to fight the morning rush. (If only I had that problem of having to go to work…that’s another issue in itself)

However, I have learned one trick that I think will help everyone out on their next visit to Los Angeles. The traffic has a mind of its own. Yep, that’s right… there really is no rhyme or reason to it. For example, I was driving from Pasadena to Santa Monica last Tuesday at 3:00 pm (seems like I would be safe) and bam! Who are all these people and where are they going is my question.

If you notice looking at my (enormous) speedometer above, I am driving a mere speed of 11 mph. That should not be happening at 3pm on a weekday. Sometimes I really wish that displayed the latest episodes of Gossip Girl instead of my pathetic speed. That would make me want to get on the ten during rush hour. (Note to Houstonians: it isn't I-10 out here..that's so un-LA to say. I-10 = the ten).

My answer to this thing called ‘traffic:’ you can’t fight it. As long as you know what you are getting yourself into, it usually isn’t that miserable. However, I must admit I do have my occasional road rage fits. :) Somehow the Houston driver in me wants to cuss and make gestures at every terrible driver on the road.

Here's a little clip for your enjoyment. Whenever I want to change lanes in traffic, I always refer back to this.

xoxo me

The diary of a shop attendant: LA style

2009-09-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that do not know me well, I love jewelry and have worked at the most wonderful, amazing, fabulous store, Chardé, in Houston. I have been ever so fortunate to find the Santa Monica equivalent of Chardé and somehow convinced them to hire me. So far it looks like that is all a UT Finance degree will get me. The store is nestled between a celeb bustling restaurant and a cute boutique on a beautiful street near the beach (duh!). I have been working there for 2 weeks now, and have already had a plethora of celebrity sightings. Ok, well actually only three, but those were in two days, so that is really like six.

Celebrity sighting #1: Kyra Sedgwick

The dashing (and skinny) Kyra came into the shop last Saturday. The store was fairly busy and I was helping several people at once. Kyra was just walking around the store looking at all the baubles. Finally I had time to help her, and we instantly became best friends. She bought a Turkish evil eye necklace, which I recently purchased from Chardé, and two gold cuff bracelets. When I was showing her one piece, she says, “Oh, you’re good.” Should I send my boss a link to my blog? (probably not). I must admit though, after she left the store I had to ask a co-worker who she was. I knew she was famous, but I could not place her. Whoops.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ms. Sedgwick, maybe this rings a bell:

Her husband is Kevin Bacon. So basically I am Kevin Bacon’s best friend. That’s right. Really that makes like seven sightings now. Yes! :)

Celebrity sighting #2 & #3: Arnold Swartzenager and Maria Shriver

Now this was a real true sighting because I recognized them! And no, the secret service following them around was not how I figured it out. Maria was maybe not the sweetest person in the whole world. She walked into the store, grabbed a purse off the wall and said loudly in my direction, “Mam, what is this?” I walked up to her and responded, “It’s a bag?” Maria said, “Yes, but what kind of bag? It has a rectangular shape?” "U’mmm really….,” I’m thinking, however instead kindly repled, “It’s a tote bag.” In the mean time Arnold is talking very loudly to who I presume is his nephew. A few Asian tourists walk in off the street and pretend to be looking at some purses and awkwardly stare at the Govenator. Maria sadly did not purchase the $165 tote bag. I guess she was looking for a beach bag, or perhaps even a bucket purse? Who knows. That sighting definitely made the day go by faster, but I was very disappointed in Ms. Shriver’s tude. Maybe she had a rough morning. I will give her that.

To clear up any confusion, here is a picture of a tote bag, in my professional shop attendant opinion.

Stay tuned for more celeb sightings from a shop attendant.

xoxo mel

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jenny from the Block!

2009-09-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

Here are few clips of JP partying in the U.S.A. Hey MTV, I hear you are in the market for a new character in The Hills. Ummm have you met JP??

I think I am going to help Jennifer get famous out here in LA.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY PINK PRETTY PRINCESS SISTER!

love you!

xoxo mel mel

Melanie Stay Where You’re Seated. You’re NOT The Next Contestant on The Price is Right

2009-09-09T00:14:00.000-07:00

September 8, 2009 4:28 am Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles

Stef’s apartment, where the infamous air mattress resides, happens to be in walking distance of CBS TV City, where one of my favorite childhood shows is filmed, The Price is Right. In honor of Labor Day, Stef, JP, and I decided it would be a great idea to go see the show. That weekend Stef’s car had to go to the shop, so she was very keen to take a shot at winning a Dodge Neon. Being unemployed as I am, I too thought it was a great idea. Not only am I unemployed, but am also hopefully moving on from my air mattress living soon, and will be in the market for some furniture. I would love to win a dining room set with matching China. And well, do I even need to pretend like JP needed to rationalize her desire to go? Please.

For those of you who are not familiar with the process of how to get on the show, which I suspect most of you are (and care to stay that way), it is a HUGE pain in the rear. We woke up at 4:00am to go walk over to CBS to wait on the sidewalk on Fairfax Avenue until basically 8:30 am. With beach towels in tow, and smiles on our faces, we made our way past all the sketchy rape vans on the road in West Hollywood, and saw the already long line outside CBS. We apparently walked up the wrong way and I just stand next the first man I see, thinking it was the back of the line. Well no, it actually was the front of the line and this man looked at me like I was just about the dumbest person he has ever seen. Clearly his temper was high since he had been securing that #1 spot in line since 8:00PM THE NIGHT BEFORE. Oh, and I can't fail to mention he was in a Hawaiian themed outfit. I politely excused myself and we continued to the actual end of the line to sit behind my new best friends, and the protagonists of this posting, for the next 9 hours: Tina and Toni, two sisters from Chatsworth, California. This was Tina and Toni’s SEVENTEENTH time to wait in line to see the show. They were official with their fold-out beach chairs, picnic basket filled with food, and their encyclopedia of knowledge about how to get on the show. (Tina is in the blue zip up jacket behind JP and toni is on the right in the red). I knew this was going to be a long day. I was lucky enough to sit next to the intriguing Tina, while JP and Stef talked amongst themselves the whole time. Tina has been unemployed for a year and spends her days being in the audience on various shows. Tina and Toni were recently in the audience for the pilot of Let’s Make a Deal, appeared on Divorce Court, Judge Judy, The Drs., Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader…the list goes on. She then learned throughout the morning that I too was unemployed, and she so kindly gave me the phone number of a contact who can get me in all the audiences for $8 an hour. Thanks Tina :) I later learned she has a personalized license plate: <3 style=""> She so kindly offered me a glazed donut, a bit of a hot dog, and cheetos from her picnic. We became great ole friends. Her homemade shirt read “Stan Pick Me To Come on Down.” Stan is the producer of the show who asks you what’s your name, where you are from and what you do there, to see if he wants you to get called down. But for the infamous Tina and Toni sisters he goes, “Oh hey ladies, what have you two been up to the past week, it has been a while.” Apparently once they told Stan if he didn't call them down, they would show up naked. (bad visual) For some reason, I don’t know why, Stan was not charmed by my telling story on how I just moved out to LA from Texas and studied to be a nurse (tiny white lie) and looking for a job, or JP’s or Stef’s for that matter. However, he decided it was going to be Toni’s lucky day, and she was called down! Sadly though, she did not win to go up on stage and left with a V-Tech Cordless Home Phone and $200, courtesy of a laser light hair removal company.

After waiting in line for 8 hours, my champagne buzz from the 7am mimosas was gone, my spirit sizzled, and I just wanted to get the hell off that CBS lot. If you read my last post, you will recall how I mentioned the people who try out for the Price is Right are the same ones who swim in their clothes at water parks. Well I don’t like water parks and I definitely don’t swim in my clothes. With that being said, if UT goes to the Rose Bowl this year I might be tempted to gather a group of 15 together to go on the show because then one of us will be guaranteed to be called down, and what can I say, the people watching is priceless.

In honor of turning another year older

2009-09-06T22:53:00.001-07:00

24 random thoughts/observations (in no particular order)

1. Everyone looks better with a tan.

2. Cereal can be eaten for any meal of the day. With that being said, the suggested serving size of 3/4 a cup is a joke.

3. Drive thru banks are a great invention. It's sad that I drive out of my way to find one, too.

4. With that being said, checks are annoying and everything needs to be done via direct deposit.

5. There’s nothing better than lying on the beach all day and doing nothing.

6. No, I am not smarter than a 5th grader.

7. The people who wait in line for the Price is Right are the same people that swim fully clothed at water parks.

8. There is a Saved By the Bell episode that can explain any trial you face in life.

9. I still wink at red lights because I am convinced they will turn green like in Corrina, Corrina.

10. D.U.R.M.B. is going to be the next new thing. If you can figure out what this acronym stands for, I will let you in on my future millions.

11. Infomercials at 2 a.m. are actually convincing, especially if they sell fitness products. Guilty.

12. People who order Grilled Chicken at KFC are just as dumb as people who get a ‘healthy’ salad at The Cheesecake Factory.

13. Want my honest answer to my five year plan? I hope I am married with a baby (or one on the way) and not working.

14. According to the New York Times, the key to living longer is having friends, and friendly outgoing people are more likely to live to be 100. Clearly that tidbit needs to be updated because when counting facebook friends we should be close to invincible.

15. In my opinion, having three (or five) alcoholic drinks gives you wings, not RedBull.

16. When cars die and go to heaven, they cross the border and go to Mexico.

17. If something fits, buy it in every color.

18. Drew Carey will never compare to Bob Barker.

19. Everything is always negotiable.

20. People that don't like California are just jealous they don't live there.

21. Remember when we were kids and our parents would tell us to go play outside and dig a hole to China?

22. It’s hard being funny.

23. How did I believe in Santa Claus until I was 10, but gave up on the Easter Bunny at 6?

24. Hey women out there wearing clear bra straps: they are not invisible. You are not fooling anyone and just drawing attention to the saran wrap looking straps on your shoulders.

Interviews…Sminterviews…

2009-09-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

How do I even begin blogging about my interview experiences these past three weeks? Well, if you know me, you know I am ALL over the place. Sadly enough my LA job search has mirrored my Sydney search. That can’t be a good sign considering I was a waitress in Oz. I’m exaggerating a bit, but I have been on a ton of interviews. Some have gone well, some have turned into follow-ups, and others have just been bizarre. Since most of my job leads come from Craig’s List, a few sketchy job postings have conned me into thinking they are legit. One position I interviewed for last Friday at 4:10 pm (red alarm #1) was in BFE (alarm #2) and had me stay and talk with a man that looks like he just stepped off the Vegas strip (alarm #3) for 2. 5 hours (alarm #4)! Needless to say, that did not turn into a fruitful position. To embellish just a bit on his appearance, he was in his late 50s, wearing a “Google” polo shirt (as if he use to work there…please) had visible tattoos, a gold pinkie ring, and a nice phat gold chain bracelet. You can only imagine the look on my face when I realized I was interviewing for a position at his company, and then imagine that face at 6:30pm on a Friday when he wouldn’t shut up. Oh Craig’s List, how you failed me on this one. (NOTE to all job hunters: read any position with marketing in its title with extreme caution).

Another funny interview anecdote was a major Sydney déjà vu. A “Chic Santa Monica Boutique” (quoted directly from the Craig’s List posting) called me to interview for a Stylist Position. They must have reached me on a day when I was really feeling sorry for myself because they conned me into coming in for a 2-hour sales ‘audition.’ I show up to the chic boutique realizing it is a cheesy prom dress store…..great. I was on the floor by myself for 2 hours while the manager watched to see how I “worked the floor.” Only one customer came in, and whew the pressure was on! She tried on some cheesy dresses and I sold her on one of them. As she is changing back into her clothes and I take the dress she wants to purchase to the register, the manager shoves four other REALLY CHEESY dresses in my face. I guess I was suppose to show these to the customer?? However, I thought they were ugly so I put them back on the rack. Yea, the manager didn’t like that. I left after working for FREE for 2 hours with her saying, “We’ll keep in touch.” Clearly I never heard back, and let’s be honest….what the HELL was I thinking. I swear I went to college, graduated with a degree in Finance, and made good grades. Why in the hell am I wasting my time trying to get a job at a cheesy prom dress store. Come on Melanie.

The latest in my job search has sent me to Las Vegas for a final round of the interview process with a fashion showroom. They flew their top two candidates to Vegas to work the Magic Tradeshow for four days. They put us up in a hotel room at The Westin. Notice that is a singular hotel room. Yes, I am sharing a room with the competition. I guess the key here is to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. From some great pillow talk convos, I realize she is way more qualified for the position, and I have NO clue how I have even made it this far. Oh, and to top it all off, her best friend works for the company. So seriously, what am I doing here? Oh well, another learning experience, right? Oh and how could I forget, these past four days in Vegas means I am not air mattress living. I am in fact sleeping on an amazing Westin Heavenly Bed. Yes bed, you are heavenly. I promise when I get a job and make the big bucks, I will purchase you. ☺ I had big dreams of coming to Vegas, getting a job, and winning millions on my favorite Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine. I attempted at gambling this evening at the Palazzo, and not only did the pit boss think my ID was a fake, I also lost all my money. (second NOTE to all job hunters: if you don’t have a job, you have no business in a casino). That brought me back to the Westin in full spirits and ready to go back to Cali. Tomorrow is the last day of the show so I shall be home shortly. I have a busy week ahead and am looking forward to the weekend festivities. ☺

Maybe when I reach a mature 24, I will be able to score a job. Fingers crossed.

What’s in a name?

2009-08-27T10:04:00.001-07:00

If you are wondering how I came about with the title, “Air Mattress Living,” it is really quite simple. My sister (JP) and I moved out to LA on August 8^th. We drove from Houston via Fort Stockton, El Paso, Phoenix and a lotta nothing to arrive in sunny California with no jobs, and all our belongings stuffed into our cars. If you don’t know already, I drive a Mini-Cooper, so needless to say my car was beyond full. This adventure mirrored my trip to Sydney, Australia last September in many ways. However, I had a huge leg up in California, as I am an American citizen and my cousins and aunt live here. The plan was (and still is) to stay at our cousin’s (Stef) one bedroom apartment in West Hollywood on an air mattress until JP and I find jobs. I am in the thick of week 3 of air mattress and job-hunting living. JP lucked out and found a great job and started working this Monday. Now the pressure is really on for me to get a J.O.B., so we can get off our air mattress and find our own place. Who would have thought it would be so hard to find a job coming from UT with a business degree? Damn economy! Luckily for us, Stef is amazing and a real trooper. We have literally taken over her apartment. I converted her breakfast table into a vanity. I bought a garment rack, filled it with clothes. My new closet is adjacent to the kitchen. The air mattress is a permanent fixture in the living room and blocks the back door. In order to take the trash out, I have to pick up the Four Season’s of air mattresses, prop it on its side to open the back door, and wedge myself out. It is really quite a chore.

As for the job hunting front, I am all over the place (go figure). Imagine me during fall semester 2007 going from interview to interview, now times that by ten. My days consist of waking up when JP goes off to work, then falling back asleep, waking up again with Stef goes off to work, then falling back asleep, and then finally waking up for good. I somehow acquired a hefty sum of Starbuck’s gift cards, so I hop from Starbucks to Starbucks during the day. In the am I get my usual tall non-fat 1 Splenda Latte, and in the afternoon the new skim strawberry and banana smoothie (this serves as my lunch). So far I have really learned how to extend those gift cards to cover 2 meals a day and they will probably only last me a few more days…shoot. I apply to every job under the sun posted on Craig’s List and live on g chat.

No real celeb sitings yet, but I will keep you posted. I really don’t know who anyone is, so it is hard for me to spot them. Note to self: get on more celebrity blogs during the day. Anywho that’s all for now. Stay tuned for more updates on job hunting and air mattress living.

:) me