The future is looking bright

Today was my daughter's first (half) day of school.

I'm happy to report she did great (and so did mom)!

Happy Valentine's Day Honey! (I've got you under my skin)

Frank Sinatra - "I've got you under my skin"


Diana Krall - "I've got you under my skin"

From seeing Diana Krall perform at the Hollywood Bowl together years ago (sushi, wine, and falling asleep on your shoulder, under the stars while Tony Bennett was singing), to the Frank Sinatra crooner in Arizona who sang this song for us and asked us if we were having an affair - this song always makes me think of you. (And not just on Valentine's Day.) Love you!

Frances Bean Cobain at 15 (Harper's Bazaar)

Frances Bean Cobain, 15, the daughter of Courtney Love and late grunge legend Kurt Cobain, graces the March issue of Harper's Bazaar, including a photo-spread for the magazine as Evita, and characters from Grease, and Beauty and the Beast. About Frances

Frances is disarmingly direct, dispensing bons mots like a 17th-century raconteur. (This may explain why the French period drama Molière is her current favorite movie.)

She's implicitly aware that this interview—with no hovering minders, no publicists, no Mom—represents something of a coming-out party. And she is dressed for the occasion in a sparkly red J. Maskrey cardigan, a navy tank, and a black American Apparel skirt. She recently dyed her hair black, accenting the look with more red lipstick, red fingernails, and — mais oui — red toenails. She has a brand-new nose piercing, too. "Mom went with me. She was freaking out because she thought it was going to be a big stud or a big ring," she says. "And, God, it hurt. It was worth it, though, because it looks so cool."

Her Genes (& her father's eyes)
But it's Frances's eyes that have it: Huge pools of "like green, blue, yellow, purple, orange, gray," they are startlingly and immediately reminiscent of her late father, Kurt Cobain. They are inescapable. "I'm very lucky because my eyes work with almost any hair color," Frances notes breezily. "Thanks for the genetics, parents. Rock on!"

Frances talks about being a child of famous parents

“These people are fascinated by me, but I haven’t done anything,” she says. “If you’re a big Nirvana fan, a big Hole fan, then I understand why you would want to get to know me, but I’m not my parents.”

Without dismissing the accomplishments of her folks (her father was dead before she was 2), Cobain advises, “People need to wait until I’ve done something valid with my life.” When asked if she planned to follow in her mother and father’s footsteps and go into music, Frances said she thought about photography and/or journalism, and might do a summer internship at Rolling Stone.

Courtney Love on her daughter

"Whatever you want to say about me, go look at my kid. ... I don't think any child has ever been more wanted. And I don't think that any parents have wanted to fuck up less."

The Loves of Frances Bean the Teenager

These days, Frances is getting on with the business of being a teenager. Picking up her Sex and the City DVD, she grins. "I am pretty much a shoe junkie. Think Carrie Bradshaw times 20. It's not even cute; it's sick."

She adores the style of Dita Von Teese. "She's like a very dark, gothic, beautiful burlesque doll. Oh, hey, want to see what I bought on eBay?" She runs to her room, returning with a curvy Dita-esque vintage purple dress. "It looks amazing on. I'm not gonna lie."

What does Frances aspire to be?
"I want to be sublimely happy. I want to be able to live in a way that isn't too hectic. Calm. And I want those around me to be sublimely happy as well.

"But," she continues, her big green-blue-yellow-purple-orange-gray eyes widening, "I'm really scared to hit adulthood because if everything is this hectic and I'm only 15 years old, what the hell is going to happen when I'm 22?"

Click here to read the entire interview.

1991 Chevy Silverado hits the 1,000,000 mile mark

On Friday while driving to dinner, I was listening to All Things Considered on the radio, and they had Frank Oresnik on the line, owner of a 1991 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that was about to cross the million-mile threshold. He talked with Robert Siegel (the host) from the road as his odometer hit 1 million miles. (Not sure what that looks like, as I had to leave the car to make my dinner reservation. Does it go back to zero?)

While many argue that foreign cars are far more reliable than domestic automobiles, here's at least one case for the Big 3.
Talk about the best commercial ever for Chevy! This story has lit up the message boards, and has people talking about Chevy...i.e., "Made in Americaaaa!!!"

When informed of Mr. Oresnik's impending milestone, Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper said, "Most Dependable, Longest Lasting isn't just a slogan, and it applies not only to Chevy pickups but to the people who drive them. We get lots of mail from customers with hundreds of thousands of miles on their Chevy trucks - so much, in fact, we formed the Silverado 200,000 mile club in 2006 - but a million miles is certainly remarkable. We're glad to have Mr. Oresnik on the Chevy team." Congrats to Mr. Oresnik. May your next truck be as dependable as this one.

The Story
Frank Oresnik of Medford, Wisconsin bought his used '91 Silverado in 1996. At the time, it had 41,000 miles on the odometer and the previous owner's widow was selling it because it was too big for her. He has since racked up an average of 85,000 miles a year delivering seafood and steaks in the upper Midwest, in three states.

As for how he got this far, Oresnik credits regular maintenance and "a little luck." His detailed service records show 300 oil changes every 3,000 miles. It's had so many changes that the oil pan drain plug had to be rethreaded several times, he said, and "you never hear of that." The truck has had four radiators, three gas tanks, five transmissions and six water pumps, but the engine has never been overhauled, Oresnik said.

Frank Oresnik's trusty pickup truck — he calls it "the old girl" — passed the 1 million-mile mark on Friday with a camera crew filming the event and a public-radio audience listening in. "I can't tell you how much fun it was," he said. "It was really humbling, all this interest."

On hand was a film crew from Chevrolet's public relations and advertising company, and Mr. Oresnik was speaking live to Robert Siegel, host of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered."

A news crew from CBS had been with him earlier in the day.

"I wont say it was relief ... it was exhilarating," Oresnik said later during a stop in Gresham where he has one of his longtime customers. "This truck has been so dependable over the years."

What happens to the truck now?
Even though his truck is still in working order, Oresnik plans to retire it after having reached the 1 million miles. "I feel almost like the longtime NFL player as he goes into his last training camp knowing this is the end," Oresnik told The Detroit News.

Now that it's made history, the truck could be headed back to the automaker or Shell Oil. Oresnik said there's been some interested in GM or Shell Oil buying it.

Chevy Silverado 200K Mile Club

http://www.chevy200k.com/

Related story with less fanfare

Chevy with over 2 million miles.

Yet another reason to love LA

It's mid February in the dead of winter, and yet today in Los Angeles it feels like a glorious summer day with a high of 83 degrees.

I Voted

(That's me behind my daughter, voting.)

The most exciting Presidential Primary ever! It even got my apathetic self (anyone remember the 2000 Bush vs. Gore experience?) to the polling place. I waited until U. got home from work so we could go together as a family to introduce my 2 year old daughter to our voting process. As whacky as it is (we voted in a Mexican church), and no matter how much you doubt whether your vote matters, it still feels good to be apart (and aware) of the process.

Not since a Presidential election have we been so glued to the news watching the votes come in. We are a house divided for the first time this year as well (as is much of the country), so it's doubling exciting.

I'm registered Non-Partisan so I voted for the Democratic candidate. Everyone at the polling place was super friendly and helpful. When they announced the sole Republican voter - "Republican!" (in order to give him the correct ballot), heads turned and everyone had to laugh (even the Republican). He was definitely a rare breed in our neighborhood.

Congrats NY! - Super Bowl 2008 Champions

Photo by: Dave And Thomas

The NY Giants with little Eli Manning defeated the New England Patriots and their Uberquarterback Tom Brady, putting a kibosh to New England's perfect season, and becoming Super Bowl XLII champions. What an upset! I love seeing the underdogs win!

The NY defense was superb. U. was delighted that "they weren't letting Tom Brady do his thing." And did you see Eli Manning break free from like three New England linemen pawing at him and pulling his jersey, and then make an incredible throw to top it off? That's the stuff of legend there. Plus is was fun to see big brother Peyton Manning and his parents reacting and supporting Eli Manning. It was a much deserved victory for Eli and the entire team. It felt great to see them win.

(I'd be remiss if I didn't mention - It's a good thing the game was so exciting, because the commercials stank this year. What happened???)

Happy Groundhog Day 2008!

Photos from http://www.groundhog.org/

Punxsutawney Phil's prediction for 2008:
Six more weeks of winter!

Scenes from Punxsutawney, PA this morning
Everything you wanted to know about Groundhog Day

A behind the scenes look at Groundhog Day at the Groundhog Capitol of the world: Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Increased popularity thanks to the movie

In years prior, a good year brought out 3,000 to 5,000 people. After the movie, crowds soared to 30,000. It's on my list of things to do and places to visit.

The Cult Classic Movie

Bill Murray in the role of weatherman Phil Connors who is sent to Punxsutawney, PA to cover the story about a weather forecasting "rat" and finds himself repeating the same day over and over again.

I never get tired of watching it.