Coming to an end

So it looks as though this blog may be coming to an end. When I first started it I felt trapped and unsure of myself in LA. And while I'm still not sure of my place in this town, I've definitely become more sure of who I am as a person....and no Hollywood bubble can affect that anymore.

And the other issue is that I'm leaving the Hollywood bubble and headed to Santa Monica permanently in just a short few weeks. While it's been a great experience, I won't miss it at all. It's not my scene. I may be a city girl but in no way am I a Hollywood girl.

So it's off to the beach and ocean in SM. Who knows how long I'll be there, but I know it will be better than the bubble.

Time to get serious

It's time for me to get serious about something. Blogs are meant to vent and give a personal point of view, like my football post. But after this week's tragedy of events because of bullying and hatred I'm taking a strong position on the recent suicides by gay youth.

As a girl who grew up in one of the most liberal cities in the world and brought up by parents who raised me to respect every human being for who they are as an individual and not what others deem them to be, I'm absolutely heartbroken that a Rutgers student would kill himself after being outed! Haven't we learned anything as a society since Matthew Shepard? Have we not learned anything as a society of the effect peer bullying has? How many more tragedies need to happen for us to get a clue and do something about it?!

Hatred is nothing but ignorance. And I'm sick and tired of being from a place where ignorance seems to lead the way of American society!

I was bullied as a kid. I went home crying every single day in 7th grade and it has effected my self-esteem even to this day. I can't even imagine the type of bullying that goes on today and to gay youth. It's time for school boards, principals, and teachers to STOP looking the other way and just saying it's part of growing up...it's not! 

Taking a cue from SU2C...it's time to STAND UP to violence! STAND UP to ignorance! STAND UP to hatred!

Apparently not every man loves football

Last night I rushed home from work to watch Monday Night Football with my 49ers playing the defending Superbowl Champs, the Saints. I wore my Joe Montana #16 jersey all day and was still wearing it when I stopped in Ralph's to grab a bottle of wine before watching the rest of the game at home.

As I'm standing in the Express checkout line and waiting for the slowest woman to pay and grab her groceries (of course not understanding the whole concept of an "Express Lane"), the guy loading his stuff on the conveyor belt behind me says out of nowhere, "The Giants lost this week didn't they?"

I kindly responded, "This is a 49ers jersey and they're playing tonight." Here's how the rest of the conversation played out...

"Oh so they lost."

"No, it's only the end of the first quarter. Sadly we're down 9-0."

"Oh, I thought they only played football on Sundays and Mondays, not the middle of the week."

"Well, today is Monday and they're playing Monday Night Football."

"Do they play football on Fridays or Saturdays?"

"No, not usually. Sometimes they play on Thursdays, but usually only Sundays and Monday night."

"So the 49ers are 0-2 already, huh?"

"No they're 0-1. This is the second game of the season. They won their three preseason games."

"It's only their second game? I thought it was at least the third week."

"Well this is the last game of second week play. The games this Sunday will count as the third week of play."

"And who's playing tonight?"

"The Niners and Saints"

"Ok. I just got hired to do a production on the football league and don't know anything about it at all."

"Well that's not good. You should start following ESPN."

"Yeah. Well thanks, you just saved me 15 minutes of searching on the Internet tonight when I get home."

OH MY GOD!!

How is it that I know more about football than a guy? Come on! And there is no way this was a flirtation attempt because no man would actually play dumb about football. I literally could not be more dumbfounded than I was last night. Also how does someone get hired to do a film production about a sport they have no clue about? Only in Hollywood I tell you...only in Hollywood.

The Drunk Text (TAKE 2)

As became evident tonight, some of my good friends have only recently discovered my blog...yes, I was that stagnant on posts that I have a great group of friends who haven't seen the original postings from 2008. Proof that these are so old...I mention MySpace HAHA! But the subject matter never changes for any woman, of any age, I've ever met :) Enjoy!

Originally written November 24, 2008


I really think dating must have been so much easier about 15 years ago. Why? Because technology hadn't invented contraptions for us to act like idiots when we've been drinking. The drunk dial was my worst enemy back in college. And having a boyfriend at Brown when I was in Boston, the late night drunken calls were frequent and the fights ensued. Sure drinking allows us to rid ourselves of our inhibitions and say what we really want to say, but sometimes that's not a good thing. Actually most brilliant ideas when we're drinking are more often than not a horrible idea sober.

But now it's gotten even worse with the birth of Blackberrys and iPhones. Texting is usually the first thing we go for and it's the worst because when we wake up sober we can reread how stupid we've been. The best ones are when you, yourself can't even understand what was written because the drunken fingers have slipped to the wrong keys. I can't even text on an iPhone sober...how the hell are you supposed to manage after a few drinks?

But besides texting we not only also have access to email, but we can Facebook and MySpace from our phones.

DANGER! DANGER!

Can we even cover the amount of humiliation that comes from a drunk Facebook or MySpace post? Not only do you get to reread your foolishness, but so do his 300 friends!! I've done this before and God help me I don't know how many people read it before I got on there the next day and deleted it from his wall.

Instead of making new applications to communicate with people, someone should develop a Drunk Text Prevention application. There should be an option within your address book to group someone into the Drunk Text Prevention category. Then after a certain hour no calls, texts or any sort of communication are allowed with that contact. Genius, right?!

Unfortunately that does not solve drunk texting when day drinking. Oh the joys of day drinking. That's when you need your friends to strip you of your phone and put you back to the Stone Age without any communication. And why is it that afterwards we're all yelling at ourselves that we should have known better. Because we all know that when we're doing it we really shouldn't be.

If you are asking your friends if you should text him, you shouldn't be texting him. If you're trying to reword the text so it doesn't make you sound desperate, you shouldn't be texting him. If he hasn't texted you, you shouldn't be texting him.

This past weekend I've been to more birthday parties than I can remember. And of course alcohol was involved in all. Even the day birthday shenanigans at La Cienega Park. The day drinking impaired my judgment to make me think "Oh he really does want to talk to me so I should go ahead and text him." No he doesn't! So when I awoke from my daytime drinking nap I discovered the text and what else...obviously no text in reply from him.

First off the text was maybe two lines...that I spent 5 minutes trying to "word correctly." I knew I shouldn't be texting him, but the little beer devil on my shoulder told me otherwise. After consultation with my much wiser friend this morning I came to this conclusion...permanently delete his phone number.

So the phone number is gone but the shame remains.

Grab the bull by its horns

Have you ever had that moment where you realize everything you want to do you can do, if you just step up to bat and take a swing? Well I finally had that moment. Ever since the beginning of the year I've been wanting to start my own business - doing freelance work in publicity, social media and events. I spent the better part of early 2010 debating what to call this company. My mom and I were looking into legally obtaining names, setting up a website, business cards, etc. But then it just fell off. Not sure if I got too busy with my event season coming up or just lazy…maybe both.

Well, about a month ago I was talking with my mom and told her that I really did want to create the business. I had just been offered the Slamdance publicity gig again and felt it was time to "step up to bat." I decided to simply go with my own name, but a personal name that only family refers to me by…Megan Ashley. And that was that. First base done and now rounding second.

Within two weeks I purchased the domain, built a website and established Megan Ashley PR, for which I'm very proud of. But all it took was me just grabbing the bull by its horns and going for it. And within the past couple weeks I've managed to pick up two additional clients…well yes, they are friend clients but their business and my work is legit.

I don't understand why I keep doubting myself because throughout my entire life if I've put my mind to something, not only have I accomplished it but I have far exceeded my expectations. Whether it be sports, school, or my career, I've never faltered. I just had to put my mind and heart in it. So here's to a great future for Megan Ashley PR!

Denmark in Cali? What?!

This past weekend I went camping for my birthday with my friends Robert and Shauna up in Santa Barbara County. On our way to our second choice campsite (a separate, long story) we drove through this little town on the CA-246 - Solvang, CA. Being a Northern California girl and spending a lot of time in Sonoma and Napa counties, I'm used to driving through adorable little towns in wine country, like St. Helena, CA.

But Solvang has a little twist...it literally looks and feels like you're in Denmark! Every building is cute, cookie-cutter Danish houses, full of adorable side streets with old fashioned street signs, windmills every way you look and even the restaurants' waitresses dress the part.

Now besides the fact we were a bit hungover from the night before, we still did manage to enjoy the quaintness of the little town...after an amazing breakfast at Paula's Pancake House.

If you're ever in the area stop by this cute little town. According to Wikipedia, every third weekend in September they throw a big festival. And next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the town's founding. Robert, Shauna and I are in for that!

Every year I get older, but it gets clearer

With my birthday just last week I started to reflect on the past year. And what a hellish year it has been! On August 19, 2009, I went through the hardest and most painful (physically and emotionally) experience of my life. It was a challenge that I thought I'd easily be able to overcome with the vast support system I had...or so I thought I had. What should have been a private struggle was all of a sudden made public by "acquaintances" and on top of it I lost part of the support system I thought I had.

But looking back it seems to have been a blessing. Because my family is still by side just as much today as they were August 19th. My best friends home in San Francisco, they're still there the same way they were a year ago. And the people who do matter are still by my side, just holding up that support system with a few less pairs of hands.

It's getting clearer every year why when we're 20 we have so many great/best friends. So many that you have a different group of friends to do something with for every night of the week or more. But when you get closer to 30 you look at the people you've surrounded yourself with and it's a much smaller number. The people who you'd throw a punch for in a bar even if you've never raised a fist your entire life. The people who you don't have to say anything to for them to understand. The people you can sit in a room with in complete silence and conversation isn't necessary because you already get each other.

I'm so grateful for the people I have in my life on August 19, 2010 because they, in essence, complete me.

Love to that "family"...you know who you are.

Hit the nail on the head

I can sum up myself in three words...I'm a Leo. I'm not sure if it's the same for other astrological signs, say Libras or Scorpios. But I will tell you that everything about being a Leo describes me to a tee!

My former coworker Tiah really got me into horoscopes and believing that the sun and moon and their orbits truly affect our everyday lives. I never read my horoscope to predict how my week or month is going to be. I always refer to it after a specific day or week has passed to see if anything makes sense. It always makes sense!

So after some recent happenings, I went to my trusty horoscope website and looked up yesterday. Here's what I got:

Fri Aug 13: Talkathon

With the Moon in your third house of communication blending well with Mars and Venus, you are likely to engage in a talkathon tonight. Go ahead and get everything out on the table... this is your best chance to avoid sticky situations later in the month. Be honest about your hopes and fears if you want relationships to run smoothly. Are you superstitious? Read up on Friday 13! Lively colours are avocado green and banana yellow. Lucky numbers are 14 and 32.

Umm...spot on! I'm still processing this.

Home is where the heart is

Anyone who has met me knows that I'm a proud, born and raised San Franciscan. Grew up in the city and could never think of any other place better in the world. I grew up sailing on the bay, went to high school in the old Flood Mansion in Pacific Heights, and loved biking through Crissy Field and the Marina Greens every weekend.

For the past six years since my mom moved the the suburbs, every time I would drive into the city I would get this excitement that would run through my entire body knowing that I was headed to "my city". Fogged in or on a clear day, it was like a kid going to Disneyland.

But yesterday when I drove into San Francisco, the first time since Christmas, no such feeling came over me. It was just an emptiness. It's such a depressing feeling to realize I've lost that. Now it just seems to be a city I used to live in.

But LA definitely doesn't feel like home either. They say "home is where the heart is"…well apparently my heart doesn't reside in San Francisco anymore. Not really sure where home is now.

It took a Canadian for me to see LA

Last week I had a very special guest come to LA for a week’s visit. Planning ahead of time, I took two days off work to spend with him and show him part of LA as he’s never been here before. What’s amazing is that most of what we saw in LA was the first time for me, too.

Yamashiro

Set on the top of a hill in Hollywood, Yamashiro not only has great food but an amazing view. A table for two overlooking LA as the sun went down…well you can’t beat that. It’s only a 5 minute drive from my apartment and I had never been there…shame on me. Then again I haven't had anyone to have a romantic dinner with in a while.



The Getty Villa

I had been to the Getty Center before, which I loved, but had always wanted to visit the Getty Villa in Malibu to see the architecture – which is absolutely beautiful! While some may go for the art the Villa houses, I strictly went for the columns, alcoves, gardens and views. A secret love affair with ancient Rome and Greece all my life, this place was perfect! The only thing I was disappointed with is that I thought we'd be able to tour the home itself. Not the case. I was only able to admire from afar.



Griffith Observatory (at night)

You know how some people never cross east or west of the 405? Well I seem to never cross east of Vine, where lies Los Feliz, Silverlake and the famous Griffith Observatory. Nothing against it, I just always feel my life pulls me west. But I was excited to see it finally. You literally can see from Pasadena, to downtown, and all the way to Century City. It's quite incredible. I also was a total nerd heading up there a night because it still reminds me of "The Rocketeer". Chad made fun of me but come on…one of the best movies ever! :) I definitely need to go back during the day, see more of the views and go on a hike.

LA Galaxy Game

Chad is from Canada which means he loves hockey. But apparently they love soccer…I mean football…up there, too. So on Sunday we took the 1 hour trip down to the Home Depot Center in Carson to see the LA Galaxy play Chicago...which sadly they lost. I love soccer, played it as a kid, and used to go to the USA Women’s National Team games at Stanford all the time. But I know why even Beckham couldn’t improve the attendance…it’s too damn far from the hub of Los Angeles. If they moved the team up closer to downtown, I, and I'm sure many others, would definitely go to more games. But if you are going to make me sit in horrendous LA traffic and you can’t offer tailgating…well then I’m not signing up.


The end result...I guess I need to give this city a little more credit. There are some hidden gems all around. I just haven't found most of them yet, or I just didn't have the right person to share them with.

A not-so-hidden gem

I've lived in Los Angeles for more than six years now, but I'm still finding a lot of cool new things to do in LA that I never knew about. For instance my new Thursday night ritual for the summer is to head down to the Santa Monica Pier with friends, sit on the beach and listen to the Summer Twilight Concerts.

This nine-week concert series has a new theme each week - everything from Australian artists, Bollywood, Beatlesfest and Mardi Gras.

If you're going to actually watch the bands and really hear the music, you want to be right up on the pier. But for the rest of us, myself included, you walk down to the beach on the south side of the pier, lay out a blanket and pop a bottle of wine. It's amazing how many random friends you run into, or better yet, how many great new people you can meet.

This is a veteran gem of Santa Monica and the Westside, but for this girl it was an awesome find six years later and a fantastic way to spend a Thursday night!

Crossing the 405

If you live in LA you more than likely live within your own bubble. If you live over the hill you're from the Valley, east of La Brea you live in Hollywood, then in West Hollywood there is a good mix of people and gives a "safe" feeling being in Boystown, but most people who live there never go past Beverly Hills area. If you have friends from the South Bay (i.e. Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach) there's a good chance you never see them unless you live or work down there. And then there's the Westsiders, one of which I used to be, and they never go east of the 405.

I completely understand that LA is ridiculously spread out, but as my mother would say "don't cut off your nose to spite your face!" I love the Westside, but love living in West Hollywood. If I never crossed the 405, either west or east, I think my life would be pretty dull. My friends on the Westside are completely different from my friends who live in West Hollywood...everything from attitude, to the way they dress, to the places they hang out. This is what makes me want to drive 30 minutes to see them because in the end it's SO worth it!

Last week at the first Summer Pier Concert someone said that "no one from Hollywood ever comes to the Westside." My friend Tony immediately corrected them, pointed at me and said, "She does!"

I love that...and that's what keeps me crossing the 405!

Wow...where the hell have I been?

I have not written a post in over a year. Not really sure why I decided to come back to this now, but I think a lot of it has to do with what I've personally gone through in the past month, the current culture and economy, and the fact that I've kept my mouth shut long enough.

Megoon rants coming to a blog near you...