L.A., Venice, and HitRECord

I got back from my quick trip to California on Tuesday. It was my first every trip by myself, and it was absolutely lovely. I got to see the Dog Bowl (which I know from the movie Lords of Dogtown. Love). And I got to be within yards of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris, and Gary Oldman at the hitRECord Fall Formal! I chatted with lots of new people, saw indie films in process, went to the Griffith Observatory, saw the Walk of Fame, finally went to Trader Joe's... Just a great trip.

Discoveries about me:
~I have a hard time just sitting back and doing nothing, even on vacation. Actually, probably especially on vacation.

~The Little Prince speaks to my heart. "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important." "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."

~My love for the ocean (and silhouette pictures) is much greater than I ever knew.
~Eating, driving, shopping, sight-seeing by myself; it's not a problem. In fact I kinda love it.

~Seeing a beautiful, funny, and creative show while dressed in a gorgeous formal dress; now that, I was sad to do by myself. "Happiness only real when shared"-Christopher McCandless (I don't entirely believe this, but it can absolutely be true. And painful, sometimes)

~Overly-priced clothing boutiques and brand names make me angry. Actually and truly angry. Not because I can't afford it, but because of the audacity it takes to believe your product is worth that much.

~The pleasure I get in using maps has no bounds. I doubt a GPS system will exist in my near future.

~I feel much more comfortable on the slightly sketchy, bum- and skater-laden, vendor-covered, colorful Venice beachfront than I do on Robertson Blvd or Hollywood Blvd or Rodeo Dr.