Monthly Archives: September 2011

I still don’t have chickens. Mr. G is trying with all his might to keep me deprived of fresh organic eggs and the magical chicken shit that will make my canna grow. Recently the kids and I listened to an interview on NPR with a fellow who raised fancy chickens with blue skin. Mr. G is also firmly committed to making our children miserable and deprived. People have fancy chickens. We have none.

We looked at two houses on Saturday. First there was the one I could have lived in for ten more years, and next there was the one I could have lived in for all my days. I stood in that house and knew that it was mine. I imagined my children growing up there and then moving out. I fantasized about growing old in a house that was large enough for company but had few enough rooms that it wouldn’t feel lonely.

Alexander was with a friend on Saturday so Jane, Mr. G, Doug and I met at the house, my house, to take a look. Mr. G had no idea where he was in the city but he liked the street. He liked the house. He did not like the neighborhood. He thought about it. He drove around the neighborhood. Twice.

And then Mr. G crushed my dream again. He won’t take his life’s savings and invest it in a house that he didn’t want to live in. Clearly he is a husband hell bent on depriving me of what I need.

If you’re like me you might not be sure what ASUS-Automobili Lamborghini VX7 means. It means OMG Lambo has a computer. Yeah, that LAMBO and it’s the sexiest thing I’ve had my hands on in a long time.

As part of the Windows Champions program I’ll be able to play with a bunch of computers and technology this year. When the folks from Windows heard me talking about cars with love my voice they asked if I wanted to try out a Lamborghini computer. After jumping up and down and sqealing and hugging them a few times I said, “Why yes, thank you very much for the kind offer.” In my grown up voice.

Here is the computer

The packaging on the ASUS Lambo VX7 is exquisite. This is a luxury computer for a lover of luxury. When I pulled the box out I felt like I was opening a Birkin or a Kelly bag. Every bit of attention is paid to the details. If you watched the video you heard my son’s excitement when he saw the body of the notebook.

Although it’s portable, this is not a small computer and if you are planning a nomadic life with your notebook this might not be the solution for you. It weighs almost 8 and half pounds and it’s screen is sweet at 15.6″ and all that styling is bulky. For around the house and maybe to the office and back it’s still a portable enough notebook and it’s so beautiful you’ll forgive it it’s heft.

ASUS didn’t just slap a Lambo logo on this thing and ship it out. This computer is fast. It starts fast, it operates fast and it’s screen is stunning. It comes standard with a Blu Ray reader and writer. Watching a movie on this computer is an absolute treat for your eyes.

The ASUS VX7 is the perfect computer for the automotive fan. It’s an impressive design piece on a desk and it’s a workhorse. (see specs below) Mostly though, my kids love having a Lambo in the house. I’d expected the VX7 to be incredibly expensive so I was surprised to see it available online for under $2,300. It would make an incredible gift if someone (say your wife… Mr. G) loves both technology and cars.

Oh, and here’s what happens when you start it up.

Specifications

I tried a new yoga class today. It doesn’t fit in my schedule well but I wanted to get to a class with plenty of balance poses and inversions.

I got there and this very young very handsome instructor was there. He had the whole Brad Pitt square jaw happening, the perfectly tousled hair, tanned just so for an audition. He looked like every unemployed actor in the city, and he is just young enough that I could have birthed him if a condom broke when I was 19.

So I was basically unimpressed.

We started with a few ohms and then he talked about the changing of the season. I zoned out a little and then he asked us to think about making just one change. I thought about changing my office.

While in a tree pose he asked us to think again about the change we were going to make and asked us to visualize how things would look after the change was made. He went on to explain that we can’t do anything until we know where we’re going.

Pretty boy was pretty insightful.

So I tried to imagine my paperless office. I tried to visualize a clean work-space. I came  up absolutely blank. I have absolutely no clue what a nice office space would look like for me. I don’t have the tools to get this job done.

Now I’m going to have to go to inconvenient yoga every Thursday with the child yogi until I can visualize a clean office.

This is it folks, the giveaway day will be next Wednesday September 21. Mark your calendars because as of this moment I have more than $5,000 worth of product and services that I am giving to you.

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I’ve been house hunting for a year. A full year of having the first email of every day come from ListingBook.com. I’ve seen homes that would work. I’ve seen amazing homes that I can’t afford. I’ve seen absolute junk for seven figures.

Yesterday we went to look at four homes. The first home is very good. It’s at the end of a cul de sac near the LA River in a very desirable neighborhood. It’s on a 6800 square foot lot and the house is dated but nice. It has a squashy entry way but an otherwise good layout. It’s not an exciting home but it’s an exciting neighborhood that’s close to the studios and everyone would work in the industry. This is good and bad news. Sometimes it’s nice to raise children without a TV studio.

The second house we were to see might have been okay but when we drove up to to it there was no neighborhood. It was just a collection of homes in between large streets. I didn’t go in the house.

The third house is in deep suburbia. It’s the lowest part of the hills here and the lots are big and spread out. You can’t walk to the store but you can ride bikes, hike or just walk aimlessly for a good long time. We drove up to the house and it’s a sprawling ranch just at the end of a cul de sac. The house is low slung and inviting. There are only three bedrooms and each one of them is large. The kitchen is dated but serviceable as are the bathrooms, all five of them. There’s an office next to the garage and the entire back of the house is lined in french doors. The pool is big and deep and I stood in the grassy area of the yard imagining my son playing catch with friends for hours.

For the first time in a year I stood in a house and imagined myself in it. It’s my house. I want it more than I’ve wanted anything in a very long time. When I mentioned that I worked from home the realtor asked what it is I do for a living and I just got all ADD on her and ignored the question. She doesn’t need to know how much I want it.

I know it sounds silly, but that’s my house and I know it.

A few of you have decided to get my posts via email each morning rather than checking in on the site. It’s a quick litle feedburner service that you can sign up for here.

Donna is one of the women who gets my post via email. Every so often I get a “reply” message from her where she sends words of encouragement or simple comments about a post I’ve written. They are always insightful and always kind. Donna is insightful and kind.

When I wrote about my daughter being leered at and my discomfort with it for a variety of reasons Donna sent me a note that short and sweet, but filled with encouragement.

I guess I’m not blogging today. Today I’m introducing you to Donna Schwartz Mills who wrote an incredible post recently about shopping.