Happy New Decade!!!

Well, I'm back in Venice after a gorgeous holiday inside the Snow Globe of Minnesota. This picture pretty well sums up the vibe of the entire trip:

The beauty and special silence of snow falling. The joy and fun of kids at Christmas. The comfort of the roots of home. The pure celebration!

I saw many old friends, and made some new ones. I ate all the traditional fare, and drank my share. I sang Carols, and told and heard stories. I wasn't as cold as I thought I would be (until the very last day). I stomped through the crunching snow in the most beautiful nature of my youth. I regrouped with the people who have known me the longest, and soaked up the strength that comes with that. I appreciated every single second.

And now I'm back in Venice, with brand new appreciation again as we stand at the top of the high dive about to plunge into a new decade. The 00's were tough, I thought, both personally and as a world. I've likened them to hanging on to a ski hill tow rope, the pull shredding apart your mittens and digging into your flesh, but still you hang on with all your might. You know the top of the hill is coming, even if you can't see it perfectly yet through the blowing wind.

We had LOW lows (9/11. Katrina. Wars. Bush.) and HIGH highs (electing President Obama. Miracles big, small, public and personal), but even Time Magazine summed them up on their cover as "The Decade From Hell".


I don't know if I'd go that far, but I would agree that the next one will be better. It has to be. Hopefully we've learned a lot from the gnarly past ten years, and will work together henceforth ... for peace, a safe and healthy climate, kindness, intelligence, love and fun. I think we can do it. No, I KNOW we can do it.

I just came across the following poem from Garrison Keillor's "77 Love Sonnets" and would like to share this lovely toast with you as we clink our glasses and kiss to welcome 2010 tonight ...

Another year gone and the old man with the scythe
Is mowing closer. He hasn't been subtle, has he.
Too many good people gone, and I could sit and cry
For them - except that you look exceptionally snazzy
And sexy despite the miles on your odometer,
As if you have a few more aces up your sleeve.
Maybe you were born under a lucky comet or
Maybe it's just the delirium of New Year's Eve.
I gaze in your face and take your hand - you're
Positively glowing. Maybe we've been sorry a
Long enough time and now we get some grandeur
And do our dance and sing our aria.
May the New Year bring us before it has flown
All we would have wished for had we only known.

Happy New Year!! Happy New Decade! Love, Light & JOY to us all!!! CHEERS!

Christmas Carols

Every year at Christmas someone sends me the following joke, and I wear it out during the Holiday Season. I share it with you now, and hope that your spirits are bright, and hearts are warm with the love of family and friends!

Three men are waiting in line at the Pearly Gates to get into Heaven. St. Peter comes to the gate, and addresses the men. "As it is Christmas, there is an added clause to get into Heaven. You must have something on your person that represents the joy of the season."

The guys glance nervously at each other, and start digging around in their pockets. The first guy approaches the gate and pulls out a lighter. He nervously flicks it and says, "This represents a candle for Christmas." St. Peter smiles and signals the gates to open. Harps and trumpets play, and off the guy goes into Heaven.

The second guy digs around in his pockets, finally coming up with his keys. He jingles them in his hand, and says, "These represent bells, jingle bells for Christmas." St. Peter ponders it a moment, then gives the signal. The gates open and in he goes.

The third guy is really sweating it, frantically digging and he's iffy anyway. He digs and digs as St. Peter taps his foot. Finally, he digs deep in his jacket pocket, his face brightens, and he comes up with a pair of red silky ladies underwear. St. Peter looks scandalized, and says, "Now what in the world is that supposed to represent?" The guy looks at him hopefully, and says with a smile, "They're Carol's".

Gloggtown!

SKOL! Last night was the 5th Annual Glogg Fest at my house. I started it up so my friends from all over could get a little taste of my Norwegian Christmas traditions, and also get rid of all the Christmas cookies I make every year with my dear friend, Brigette.


It has grown over the years into a thing that I actually need a bigger place to host it at, but the crowding helps you keep warm, in heart and body. I love it as an evening where we can all see each other before we scatter across the universe for the holidays, and make merry one last time in Venice. Last year it was the last time most of us saw our beloved Sponto before he passed away on the 28th, when we were all away. So we've all come to look forward to Glogg Night, and whoop it up in a big way.


Which leads to what we in the business call "Glogg Fog" the next day. Glogg, for the uninitiated, is mulled wine. Lots of names for it around the globe, I call it Glogg. It smells and tastes great, and if you're not careful, will sneak up on you. I serve it "Viking Style", that is, with a splash of brandy on top of each glassful. And as we all know, Vikings were a rowdy bunch.

Last week we talked about lefse, so everyone who was over last night got to taste that treat. GONE. All that's left of the cookies (everyone's favorite seems to be the famous Cherry Chip) are some crumbs underfoot this morning. I'm not sure how many people we squeezed in, but almost all the cups were gone, so we may have had trouble with the Fire Marshall ... but they weren't invited.


So now my heart is warmed by the love and fun of friends, and it will carry me into the snow and arms of home, and more love and fun with friends in The Great White North. I am so grateful for the people in my life, and what a true pleasure to share my heritage and holiday cheer with such dears.



GOD JUL to us all!

An Anarchist Christmas Tale

In the U.K. the Christmas week Number One song is a big, big deal. It's a long held tradition, where they even have bookies making betting odds on what song will win the crown. It has become pretty much a done deal that in the last five or so years, whomever won the X-Factor (U.K.'s American Idol - Simon Cowell's also) won the Christmas week battle, since their show ends the week before and all the lemmings go out and buy the winning single. (Yes offense, if you like lame AI songs).

Well, not this year. A British guy by the name of Jon Morter started a Facebook page/campaign to get everyone to topple that monopoly by putting up Rage Against The Machine's 17 year old song, "Killing In The Name". Though that song is about racism in police ranks, it does feature the chorus "Fuck You, I won't do what you tell me!" A perfect anthem for this scenario. People immediately joined the cause, and the sales grew until Rage was ahead a few days before the sales cut off last Saturday. Excitement started to build across the world, as the main opponent, Joe McElderry (X-Factor winner) and his cheesy Miley Cyrus cover, didn't seem to be representative of the U.K. masses after all. Odds were in Rage's favor.

A mini war of words started. McElderry said, "They can't be serious! I had no idea what it sounded like. It's dreadful and I hate it. How could anyone enjoy this? Can you imagine the grandmas hearing this over Christmas lunch? I wouldn't buy it. It's a nought out of ten from me. Simon Cowell wouldn't like it. They wouldn't get through to boot camp on The X Factor - they're just shouting." Tom Morello from Rage simply declared McElderry "Goofy". I thought this thing had to be sewn up ... and relished it for the rebellious nature and Yes We Can of it all.

The numbers drew closer. Rage played a live show for the BBC and sang the uncensored chorus, causing people that don't like swearing to be scandal/mobilized to go buy the Hannah Montana cover. Then Rage upped the ante by saying their proceeds would go to the U.K. homeless charity, Shelter. AND if they won, they'd come to England and perform a FREE show for everyone, including "the after-parties of all after-parties".

Saturday dawned and I got a text from Tom that they were BEHIND. WHAT?! Everyone on Facebook was scrambling, I was contacting everyone I knew who'd even HEARD of the U.K. to get people to buy the "KITN" single before midnight. DJ's spun the track and then stopped the music to urge people to get online and download it. I texted that to Tom and he replied "Then on to the next bar!!" and so on and so on. People hosted downloading parties, and were encouraged to knock over ladies buying the X-Factor schmaltz (in jest, I think). The clock hit 12 and all anyone could do was wait for the official announcement on Sunday afternoon.

And .....


THEY WON! RAGE IS COMING TO THE U.K.!!! POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!! Tom said on his Facebook, "Rage Against the Machine are honored to have been drafted by this historic grassroots campaign to make our song "Killing in the Name" the number one song on the UK Christmas Week pop chart. This is a huge victory by and for fans of real music and we extend our heartfelt thanks to every fan and freedom fighter who helped make our anthem of defiance and rebellion the Anarchy Christmas Miracle of 2009." I mean, WOW. Amazing.

It's more than just a song contest too. It's sheer inspiration. That people can have had enough of anything, and work together for change. If a popular culture mission can be accomplished so deftly, what HUGE and important things can be done with the same efforts? It reminds of of old Bertolt Brecht's quote, "Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it." That's right. People across the globe got on board to help the British squash the Simon Cowell (who has been asked to MC the upcoming free Rage show over there! Ha.) juggernaut. They stood up to it, and DID IT. I would never have thought of "Killing In The Name" as a Christmas Carol before, but now it will always remind me of the Great U.K. Christmas Rebellion of 2009. GOOD ON YOU, BRITS!

Fa la la la la, la la la LA!

For The Love Of Lefse

Lefse. If you're Norwegian (and I am - 100%), you love Lefse (pronounced Lef-suh). It's served at every holiday or event, or something's wrong. It, like a lot of Norwegian food, is beige and bland. I got a huge box of it on my doorstep today, sent by my loving and benevolent Mom, and I am STOKED. (Lefse and "Stoked" might never have been used together before, but here we are.)

In bragging to my friends today about the bounty I'd received, I mostly got blank stares and "What the heck is that?" type questions. So ... it's basically a Norwegian tortilla. It's made out of potatoes, smushed and flattened until it looks a lot like your basic flour tortilla, but way, way more delicious ... think flattened, grilled mashed potatoes. It's pretty intimidating to make, so luckily there are many fine establishments that do it for you. Just not in Los Angeles, that I know of. Once I was in the town of Carefree, Arizona (where the streets have names like "Ho Hum Avenue", "Just Chilling Street", and the like. OK, I made up the last one, but only because I'm blanking on all the other ones, but you get it.) where a LOT of Snowbird Minnesotans winter or retire, and the local grocery store had a whole Scandinavian food section for them, which I found adorable. Here in L.A. though, Lefse is like the most elusive truffle ... rare and precious.

You serve it plain, rolled up with butter if you're a purist like me. Others like it with butter and sugar - I do not. My brothers like it with turkey dinner leftovers, all of the best things rolled up inside. We just love it. And I now have a whole lot of it, so if you're curious about this Norwegian staple, now's your chance. Really, NOW. Because we're mad for it, and it's gonna go fast.

Viva Lefse!

The Holiday Spirit

Sometimes it's kind of hard to get into the Holiday Spirit living in Venice, all beachy and bright. Which got me to thinking, why is it the "Holiday Spirit"? Why can't we be lovely to each other all year long? Well, the answer is, we can.

You see people get all frazzled by the holiday rush of things to do/places to be/people to see ... so much so that they can get a little nasty. I've seen it, and I don't like it. I'm from Minnesota, as you know, where there's a coined phrase - like on T-shirts - "Minnesota Nice". People from there tend to be super nice, ask anyone. (With the exception of the thugs and murderers that a few years ago begged the nickname "Murderapolis", that I got a lot of mileage out of). So it bugs me when you see people bitching about stupid, petty things, especially at this time of the year. We've had some true heaviness around these parts lately ... a murder, friends sick with awful illnesses, etc ... to where any drag happening in my life (looking at you, Verizon) makes me go, "At least I wasn't murdered. At least I'm healthy. At least I don't live in Afghanistan. At least I'm walking on the beach in December."


And while walking on the beach in December, I think a lot. I appreciate a lot. Like the fact that I don't have to sleep there.


I also talk a lot. I say "Good Morning" to everyone I pass. It almost always gets a "Hello" back, or at least a tough-guy nod. I ask people if they'd both like to be in the picture. When we ask if they'd like a picture taken together, though, it is almost always met with delighted surprise, which makes me kind of sad. Has it become so unusual for people to offer unsolicited help that strangers act like I've just offered them a desperately needed kidney? (Which I've also really offered. It became unnecessary, but still.) Or standing in line somewhere, I'll compliment them on something, and they either look at you like a weirdo, or practically blush from a mere sentence. I think we need to talk to each other more. I've been at dinner recently where every single person around the table was on their phone or texting, not participating in our increasingly rare moment of togetherness at all. "Be here now", I'll none-too-subtly say. I think that's the whole point of this one spin in this skin, to enjoy each present moment as much as you possibly can.

So give it a try. Help someone carry their bundles into the Post Office. Strike up some small talk in line. Hold the dang door for people, for goodness sakes! I went up to this couple on the beach and asked if they'd like their photo by the little sand Christmas tree they'd made this morning. I think the day is better for all involved by the light-hearted, Holiday Spirit feeling of connecting with other humans in the name of JOY.


And once we've mastered the art of humanity at the Holidays, I think it's fine if it just rolls on through the new year, and on into always. Don't you?

Kelley Baker Brows at Trim

I'm really not that high maintenance of a girl, but one thing I feel pretty particular about is my eyebrows. It took one gruff Russian lady a bunch of years ago in San Francisco to compliment me on my hair, "but awful eyebrows", before I had a whole new appreciation for the art of the arch. It really completes one's face, and for people who have it done freshly, it's almost like a face lift. So after the Russian lady tore my brows into stream-lined magnificence, I had to find someone local. For years that was my lovely Tracy at Anastasia (who I still love and hope isn't reading this) in Beverly Hills. I figured if Oprah was down with the place, it had to be good. It was.

When I stopped working in Hollywood though, it started being a drag to haul myself to Beverly Hills for a 15 minute brow wax ... and it's not cheap either. My friend Steph cuts (gorgeous) hair at Trim in Venice, and kept telling me how great the eyebrow lady was there, Kelley Baker. Habits die hard though, so it took me a while to book an appointment, but once I did ... I was sold.


Kelley was born and raised here in Los Angeles. She was always into doing makeup, and had a talent for it from a young age. She wasn't really feeling college, so she went to beauty school and learned all the ropes. That led to working on indie films, working at the Christian Dior counter, a whole range of things that kept her busy and honing her skills. The long set hours weren't that fun for her though, so she decided to get her license and look into salon work. Damone Roberts ("The Eyebrow King" and a protegee of Anastasia) was in her class at the Culver City Beauty College. He opened his own salon in Beverly Hills, and brought star pupil Kelley along with him.

She observed and learned from the best, and it shows. She helped him open the salon, doing everything from sewing curtains to painting the place, and then the fun began. Damone took her along to do brows in Japan, to Golden Globes parties, all sorts of adventures, that introduced her to a celebrity clientele (Mandy Moore, Kelly Rowland, Jaime Pressley, etc.). All the jet-setting around had to relax a bit when Kelley became a single mother to her darling little boy, Travis, and she started looking around for a salon gig on the West Side. After bouncing around a bit, she has now been at Trim in Venice for a year, and we're all looking better for it.

She does the whole shebang, brow shaping and tinting, eyelash tinting ... all in a super calm and friendly manner, so that you find yourself actually looking forward to the Band-Aid-like ripping off of eyebrow hairs. Weird, but true. She's confident, and can tell just by looking at you what needs to happen with your arch. Guys too ... I don't know if you all know how much better you can look by just a quick little "man-scaping" session. She said most of her male clients are "Manly Men" too, like tattoo artists and big burly type guys, that feel a bit nervous the first time, but then soon become addicted to the cleaned up look a groomed brow presents.

Some female clients have been too over-zealous in their self-plucking and think there's nothing to be done with their balding brows. Kelley said, "There's ALWAYS something you can do", to salvage a crazy eyebrow scenario. She just did mine, and even without a lick of makeup on, I still feel fancy and fresh. It's pretty amazing, really, how such a seemingly little facial feature can brighten up your whole deal.

Kelley has started her own eyebrow product line, Kelley Baker Brows, with a whole range from shadows, highlighters and gel, to brushes and a fresh new Tweezer that puts Tweezerman to shame. She is the new brow guru, having just won First Place in the FOXLA Hot List for best Eyebrows in L.A. That recent honor follows her winning best Eyebrow Shaping in L.A. on Citysearch last year.

Kelley loves her work, and you can tell. She's happy and fun, and so soothing when piling hot wax on your head that she said she's even had clients fall asleep in the chair! The atmosphere has a lot to do with it too ... comparing the people and vibe in Venice to that of Beverly Hills, we were commenting on how everyone down here is so much more themselves and comfortable seeming, making it so much more of a joy for her to come to work.

She loves the Abbot Kinney neighborhood too, frequenting the Habit, Skylark ("they have the best tops"), Casa Linda, Firefly, and The Brig on Tuesday nights for the music. I'm so happy to have found her, and to be able to just roll up the street when I start looking like a grizzled old man above my eyes. I came out of there the other day feeling like a brand new lady. And you can too (or a gentleman, of course).

Kelley is at Trim:

Wednesday 10:30 - 2:30
Thursday 12 - 5
Friday 9:30 - 2:30
Saturday 10 - 5

... But she's also real cool about squeezing you in if you have a brow emergency and she has time.

Just call Trim (310) 396-3330 to set up an appointment, and you'll be on your way to looking Holidazzling for your million Christmas parties.