More memories from the block, circa 1970's

I was just in the car on my way home listening to the radio and they were playing "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat and Tears and I REMEMBERED ... I REMEMBERED WHAT IT SOUNDED LIKE ... MUSIC .... REAL MUSIC ... brass sections, rhythm sections, lyrics, MUSIC MUSIC, not the computer generated crap that goes for music today with the negative, hateful, misogynistic lyrics. Let's go back shall we ... to the 1970's when music was real. Remember Chicago? Especially early Chicago ... the "Color My World" Chicago, the "Beginnings" Chicago, these guys were REAL musicians. They wrote the music and the lyrics. Tower of Power, their horn section was, and is, legendary, Earth, Wind & Fire, another legendary group, especially EARLY, Earth Wind & Fire ... anyone remember "Feelin Blue?" OMG, this song always gets to me and you never hear it on the radio ... another favorite "Outside Woman" by Bloodstone. Ay yi yi, talk about S E X Y ... Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes - the entire 1970's was a feast for the ears. Music that moved and grooved and was super romantic. Today there is nothing that compares to that era. I know that each generation believes theirs is the best, but I'M SORRY ... the 1970's were AMAZING. I remember seeing David Bowie on my 18th birthday at the Forum in L.A. I remember seeing Chicago at the Anaheim Convention Center and absolutely falling in love with trombone player Jimmy Pankow - WHAT A FOX! (fifth guy from the left with with the beard) every 16 year old girls fantasy.

When I remember these amazing groups I can't help but go back to Manzanar Avenue. I'm 14 all over again, hanging on the block with my best friend Denise. All the kids on that block will forever have a special place in my heart. Richard Monroy had the best collection of records EVER and it is because of him that these songs resonate in my memory for he was the one who played the music from his garage 24/7 and provided me with the entire backdrop of my teenage life. I remember he had a real talent for hooking up speakers and stuff like that. Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amor" will always remind me of Gerry Santana and Elaine Phillips ... sitting in Gerry's front yard with their new shag haircuts, they were the cool girls on the block, older than me and out of my league socially but everything I wanted to be as a teenage girl ... POPULAR!

My cousin Danny was GOD to me. Three years older than myself, he was really cool and had lots and lots of really cute friends (which, if you're the younger cousin of a cool, older cousin who is of the opposite sex and just happens to live next door, well this is like hitting the jackpot if you're a dorky 14 year old) Danny drove a lowered gold Camaro with Cragers and a color bar LOL! ... for those of you who don't know, a color bar was a contraption that you could hook up under the glove compartment and it flashed colors and shit ... I think it was supposed to be a "turn on" to chicks LOL!! More than anything on earth I wanted to hang out with Danny. I hoped and prayed that some of his coolness would rub off on me and make me the kind of chick that his friends would wanna hang out with (if you know what I mean) I wanted so much to be cool and good looking instead of being who I really was at that time, a dorky little pest. Whenever I hear Earth Wind & Fire's "Feelin' Blue" I remember Danny's friend Rod playing this song for me over and over again on the 8 track of his lowered Riviera ... so sweet to do that for me ... being just a nerdy little girl at the time.

I have so many memories of that time; hiding behind the curtains in my mother's bedroom to watch Danny and all his friends collect on his front yard on a summer afternoon with their low riders parked every which way and the music blaring and wishing more than anything on earth that I could be over there too, hanging out with all those cool, cute guys.

I remember having a HUGE crush on Danny's friend Frank Moreno (aka The Coolest Guy in the Universe) ... Years and years later I would actually be corrupted by Frank ... he got me high for the first time in my life. We sat in his low rider and he handed me a roach with a clip. I wasn't sure how to hit this thing, but hit it I did ... I was 23! Believe me, getting high for the first time at 23 was OLD in my neighborhood!

These songs from the 70's bring forth all the bittersweet memories of my youth. The secret crush on a special guy, the longing for that first kiss and the awkward, bewildering navigation through teen aged angst. I remember the beautiful pain of it all. At 14, I truly was an innocent and I look back on it with a full heart because there aren't too many innocent 14 year old girls anymore. And that is so very sad to me. I remember what it was like to be an awkward 14 year old girl riding my 10 speed all over P.R. with Denise and cruising Bobby Valencia's house, the neighborhood bad boy/heartthrob. Me and Denise at the carnival in the parking lot of Shopping Bag Supermarket, riding the Scrambler and laughing until I peed in my pants when she swallowed a bug and started gagging. We knew nothing of sex other than the magical imaginings of what it would feel like to have a real live kiss, this was the ULTIMATE, considering that neither of us had had this experience yet. I think back now and it was a beautiful time, though I wouldn't want to live it over, well, maybe some of it ... I loved growing up and going from a nerdy, skinny girl and metamorphosing into a young, pretty girl. I started to notice that Danny's friends, and other guys, were looking at me "differently" .... mhmmmmm, I think I like this! I liked the way the opposite sex started treating me. I loved the protection with which my older male cousins, especially Danny, showed for me even though at times it really put a cramp in my social life, but I now know that he was truly watching out for me. He once told me that we were at a dance and he saw a guy talking to me that he didn't like so he asked another friend of his to go ask me to dance to distract the other guy away from me. I never knew this until recently ... What a guy ... REALLY. So thank you my cousin for always taking care of me.

When, I FINALLY did get married, years and years and years later (LOL), I was waiting on the staircase inside the church in my gown and veil ... no one had seen me yet, and Danny wanted to take some film so he came up the steps and I'll never forget it ... he shook his head and looked down, then looked up at me and said "YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL!!!!" And my heart melted ... I was a beautiful bride ... cause Danny said so. And at that moment, I BELIEVED IT because Danny, my big, older cousin, who I'd always had a little crush on ... said it was true and it meant the world to me. I was now ... very grown up and even though I took this walk rather late in life, I felt young and beautiful and ready to take this big step and walk down the aisle ... I looked over at my father and said "come on Daddy ... let's do this!"

There is nothing sweeter than revisiting your youth when you're far, far away from the pain and misery of it all and you can remember only the fun times, the magical moments and the beautiful memories that were were made with people that were family, neighbors and friends. There are moments I would love to relive ... and I do, if only in my mind. That is the beautiful thing about memories ... you can go back there whenever you want to, spend a little time there and relish every sweet, magical second.

Eighteen WITHOUT a Bullet

When I reflect back on the last 18 months it is really quite amazing to see who I used to be and who I've become. A year and a half ago, I was gainfully employed, I got up in the morning and had somewhere to go, I had friends that I went to lunch with, and I got a paycheck that I used to buy things with, save, and purchase necessities. Now ... 18 months later, I am a housewife type person. I have no friends (well, I do but THEY'RE ALL WORKING) so I don't socialize much, I don't shop and I don't go to lunch with friends. And though I believe all things happen for a reason, I'm certain I won't know the reason I've been unemployed this long for some time to come. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever work again. It's all too weird. In the meantime, this blog has kept me sane. I write everything down ... my frustrations, my hopes, my dreams. This has been a journey that I never thought I would make. I have had some amazing things happen through this blog. I met Amy Ferris, author of "Marrying George Clooney" (P.S. buy the book ... you'll laugh your ass of and have a good cry at the same time) and we have since become email buds. I went to a reading she did in Pacific Palisades and that was like the most exciting thing that has happened to me in life because she really, really liked my writing and told me I was really funny and to keep writing! No matter what happens ... KEEP WRITING. So that's what I've done and it has been a lifesaver. (That is her picture ... isn't she adorable?!)

So, the last year and a half has been filled with writing, writing, writing. Complaining, whining, kvetching ... basically, therapy without paying for it. My blog has allowed me to be creative, funny, thoughtful, and I now have people who "follow" me! I was even awarded a "Kreative Blogger" award which, for someone like me is really cool because it means SOMEBODY LIKES ME! There are so many funny blogs out there written by amazing women which contradicts that ridiculous thought that women aren't funny. PISHAW! We are fucking hilarious! Truthfully, I'd take a female comic over a male comic any day. Men are funny but not like women. Women have worlds and worlds of thought within which to vent in the most hysterical ways. One of my favorite stand up comics has always been Susie Essman (who plays the horrible wife on Curb Your Enthusiasm). She also just wrote a book called "What Would Susie Say?" If you ever feel like laughing out loud just jump onto You Tube and plug in her name. SHE'S FRICKIN' HILARIOUS.

Female humor bonds women together in ways that men could never fully appreciate. It is a way for us to commiserate our unique lot in life. And I don't believe that you can be really funny without having some smarts ... you have to have some brains in order to be really witty. And I do not mean to say that men are not intelligent, they're just not funny in the same way as women. A woman's brain is like a super highway ... on ramps, off ramps, lanes that merge, bridges connecting one lobe to the next, a very intricate machine indeed. A man's brain is kinda like a little dirt path. Women are masters of multi-tasking and can think about and DO more things at the same time than a man. It's a fact. Please see diagram below.


Woman's Brain:













Man's Brain:



















See.
(p.s. And, just for your information, this is the post that my husband thought made me a hater) ... So in the spirit of fair play, you may leave your comments, pro or con.

IS DEBBIE A HATER, OR NOT? (Check yes or no below)

YES

NO

The Housewives of the O.C. Return

Okay. The Orange County Housewives are back and apparently, it's been hard times for everyone ... even for the beyotches from Coto de Caza. Let's update:

Jeana, due to the horrible economy and lousy real estate market, must now downsize from a 9,000 sq.ft. home to a 5,000 sq.ft. home. Jeana, I'm keeping you in prayer girl. That's gotta be really tough but we all have our trials. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. And think of it this way ... 5,000 sq. feet is cozy. It might be an opportunity for you and your son to grow closer since now you'll have less space to move around in. Gotta look at the positives!

Tamra. Poor Tamra. She and Simon are having some serious marital issues due to all their "financial stress". Tamra, I feel you girl. It's really hard making sacrifices ... eating out five days a week instead of eight. Giving up one of the Beemers. But, again, fingers crossed and prayers ... hopefully you won't really have to get out there and look for a real job cause it's tough out there girl. Be thankful for what you have ... like enough clothes with the tags still on them! That'll be enough to get you through next season without having to do a re-run! See! There are blessings even in times of trouble.


And Gretchen. Poor, beautiful Gretchen. Loses her fiancee to leukemia, soooooo sad ... but thank God he left her a couple mil and she still is able to stay at home with her dogs. And we all know how much work that can be! Plus, she has a new love! Is that luck or what?! Slade Smiley to the rescue ... another man with a nice fat pocketbook. Thank you Jesus. See! Silver linings amongst all those clouds. Wow. Hang in there housewives ... better days are ahead ...

OK. NOW ... HOW I REALLY FEEL ...


BOO-FUCKIN-HOO.

I have seen these ladies evolve over the years and I've watched old housewives leave and new housewives arrive. I've seen enough cleavage to last a lifetime (obviously these gals have never heard of dressing "age appropriate") and I've watched them maneuver and talk about each other, gossip and destroy one another and just be downright nasty ... but here's the rub ... I'VE WATCHED ALL OF THEM! EVERY SINGLE ONE ... ATLANTA, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK. ALL THE HOUSEWIVES. Why do I do this?! Because it allows me to sit in judgment of others and what better way to feel high and mighty than to criticize and point at all these narcissistic woman?! I can't help it. I'm addicted. And even though sometimes after an episode all I wanna do is take a shower most of the time I'm completely fascinated by the interactions of all these broads. I mean ... there is an aspect to these reality shows that is kinda fun and when you watch you feel like a part of it. Deciding who you want to support and who you want to hate. My husband gives me no end of shit about this but who is watching OPERATION REPO right now as we speak? Operation Repo, for those of you who aren't in the know, is a reality show just like the housewives ... but for men. Basically, we watch the repo man haul off the cars, trucks, SUV's, and BMW's of people who did not make their payments. Words are said, fights ensue, guns are drawn, blood is shed. A whole melee of male testosterone. Pleeeze. Tonight's episode of Operation Repo ... they are repossessing a hearse with a frickin' dead body in it. How's that for class?

So, no matter who you are, there is a reality show for everyone.

We've got the "Divas from Dallas" which is a reality show of super rich Dallas housewives/divorcees and their spoiled, horrible, ungrateful spawn.












Then you've got "Leave it to Lamas" (which my step-daughter turned me onto), a reality show of D-list actor, Lorenzo Lamas and his brood of equally untalented, spoiled and ungrateful spawn. So basically, you got a whole cornucopia of t.v. programming for the brain dead ... of which, I have no choice but to admit, I am one. And I say that only with love in my heart cause God knows I don't wanna be a hater ... and I don't wanna judge ... I'm just saying.

I know I'm a complicated gal ...

My husband reads all my posts before I post them. Sometimes he'll laugh out loud and other times he'll just say ..."that was good hon". This is because he has heard all my stories, my whining, my kvetching and complaining a hundred million times so my thoughts are "old news" to him. Right now I'm working on a post that is basically my thoughts on the last 18 months of my unemployment and I had him read it. You know what he said? He said I sound like a hater! A negative, angry woman. Now ... this is exactly what you DO NOT say to a co-dependent woman. Now I'm all thinking ... "maybe I AM a hater? maybe I am a negative, angry woman? Maybe I am baaaaaad? Maybe if I exercised and lost weight I'd be better? Maybe I'd get a job? Maybe if I wasn't me I could be someone else... someone better? ... someone more positive? Maybe I'd be one of those people who just attracts wealth and success to them? ... IT'S ALL MY FAULT, ALL OF IT! The war in Afghanistan, the economy, Katrina ... my negative thoughts have infiltrated the ether of life and I'm to blame for it all?!? SEE?! SEE WHAT I MEAN? This is what it's like to be me.

Thank God for meds.

Viggo ....... *SIGH*

What can I say ... WOW. First of all, the movie was very dark. Very bleak. Frightening. But Viggo's performance ... BEAUTIFUL. Heartbreaking. I don't know if I could take seeing it again, it is so, so sad. The theatre was full and we were sitting about halfway up ... I took two pictures but it was clear we were too far away ... they came out completely black! BIG BUMMER.



I really had to control myself towards the end of the film or I would have been sobbing out loud! After the film, sure enough, they introduced Viggo and he came out from the side, kinda of near where we were sitting and I really couldn't believe my eyes. He is younger looking in person. Tall, thin, with a very easy going aura about him. His hair is on the long side and he had on jeans and a T-shirt of his favorite soccer team. Can I just say that as obsessed as I have been with this man over the years, I have seen tons and tons of video on him doing this very type of thing ... Q&A's so it was almost familiar! Like I was watching a video but I wasn't ... I WAS REALLY THERE! He took questions from the moderator and from the audience as well. I did not ask a question cause I didn't want to seem like a desperate stalker and besides, my husband was sitting right next to me. But you know what ... he seems so nice, so approachable that I would feel very comfortable asking for a picture or an autograph ... he exudes graciousness.

I gotta tell you that I felt sooooooo stupid for a bit because there he was ... in my presence ... in the same room as I ... and I have had A HUNDRED MILLION FANTASIES ABOUT THIS GUY .... HOW EMBARRASSING!!!! He has been my boyfriend in my mind for so long that the reality of it all was ... well, embarrassing. I mean if I were Viggo and I could read minds I think I'd never leave my house.

Viggo tends to ramble on a bit when answering a question and I've noticed this in interviews as well. My husband, after we left the theatre commented on this ... Dan: "... dayum he went on and on, ALRIGHT ALREADY ANSWER THE QUESTION!" ... Me: "That is exactly how you talk." And it's true, only Danny can find eight hundred different ways of asking you WHY?????? Then he commented on how the entire audience were just Viggo fans and "Hollywood people". Next time I do something like this I'mona take a girlfriend. And I don't mean that in a mean way, it's just that it is more of a GIRL thing ... any who ... I was very disappointed that Viggo didn't stay for handshakes and pictures. Very disappointed. When the Q&A was over they asked all of us to stay in our seats because Viggo had to go ... in other words, don't come down here and crowd around him cause he's gotta get outta here and no sooner were those words out of the moderators mouth, a ton of people rush up to the front but Viggo just gave a wave and disappeared.

We parked in the back of the theatre and I kept hoping we'd see him so I could ask him for a picture but we didn't. All in all, I still can't believe I saw him in the flesh. Odder still, was that I wasn't beside myself with excitement the way I thought I'd be. Weird huh. He's a real person, know what I mean. He seemed very real, very nice. Even Danny said that ... he seems like a really nice guy and he does! He comes across very down to earth, very unaffected, not movie-starish at all. He's very much an artist, a renaissance man and he's funny.

To those of you who have known of my obsession with Viggo all these years, I would never have imagined that I would one day be in the same room with him. And I am not one to seek out celebrities or if I do see one in person, I never approach because the few times I have I've just felt really stupid. I remember once seeing Tony Curtis in Vegas playing video poker and I went up to him and he gave me the big ol brush off. I FELT SOOOOOO STUPID! And I wanted to tell him that the only reason I even approached him was because I saw him on t.v. say how much he loves when his fans come up and talk to him. NOT.

So, all in all it was a very memorable night and I think that if it were a different event where he was all gussied up in a suit or tuxedo I probably would have lost control. I definitely plan to do this again one day, but as far as I know, Viggo has no plans to do another movie for a while. I know that he is going to do a play in Spain pretty soon. And I know that they are planning to do a film of The Hobbit, which he may participate in, but I'll let you all know as soon as I find out.

So that's it folks! A dream come true for the Debster! I'm only sorry that I wasn't able to get a picture of the two of us to post ... but there's always next time!

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!! Today's the day!!!!!

ONLY TWO MORE DAYS AND I'LL BE IN THE SAME ROOM WITH MY BOYFRIEND!!!!!

*sigh* ...