Is That...??

I am by no means a star struck type of individual…I mean I’m Stacey-“Hollywood”, I’m a star myself darnit…folks should be running down the street for my autograph right? Ok so I’ve signed a few but you can’t stop for everyone :) ...Anyways back to the story here…

So I’m sitting in Church (one of my sorority sisters that I met out here suggested hers) and having a joyous time listening to the choir, praising God, really enjoying myself and the service when I happen to look over and a lady singing up there reminds me of someone…I focus my attention and say to myself…”Is that..?? Nah, can’t be her, this is a small church in the suburbs of LA, people have already told me where all the stars go and from my recollection it’s not here”. So I continue to sing along and clap my hands but my eyes keep drifting to her cause something in my gut is telling me that it’s her...I don’t want to stare but I just need to figure it out or it’s gonna drive me crazy. So church continues and then there is a song that comes up and the pastor hands her the mic...As soon as she begins to sing I know for a fact…It’s her! Its one of my all time favorite female singers…Chante Moore !!

Now everyone knows I love music, and am a total R&B fan and I have loved Chante’s style, voice and song selection since the Precious album. “Straight Up”, “It’s Alright”, “Chante’s got a man”, “Old School Lovin”, “Bitter”, “Love’s taken over”, “Train of Thought”, The whole “Things that Lover’s Do” Album with her husband R&B singer Kenny Lattimore

and my all time classic favorite : “Candlelight & You” with Keith Washington are just a few of the hits on my Ipod as we speak-(go to her site right now to hear some of her songs-it plays automatically, and some of the ones I mention above are on there, plus she has a new album coming out soon www.chantemooreonline.com)!!

Ya’ll know I’m cool so I don’t even go up to her but it just seems so weird to be in a city where you run into people you’ve seen on TV or in movies or heard on the radio..and it could be anywhere-church, the grocery store, the mall, the beach. Just this past Sunday I had another “Is that..??” moment and once again I was correct. Same church and I see James Pickens Jr, the man people know as Dr. Richard Webber on Grey’s Anatomy

But then again, this is LA, home to the stars they say and I better get used to it…

Case of the missing refrigerator...

Imagine if you will, looking for an apartment in a new city and you come across the following ad:

$1195 / ...Spacious 2 Bedroom...Near Warner Center...
Wall to Wall Carpet, Balcony, Walk-in Closet, Stove/Oven, Ceiling Fan, A/C, On-site Laundry, On-site Manager, Swimming Pool, Covered Parking, Professional Management, Covered and Assigned Parking, Everyday Maintenance Availability, Controlled Access, Landscape and Courtyard

And pictures inclusive of this one:
Now if you’re anything like me, you say to yourself...”hmmm, looks and sounds like it may be a winner”, especially being in California where the prices are sky high for a studio! So you call and talk to a nice lady who tells you “You have to bring your own refrigerator”…Skirrrtttttt (that’s the wheels screeching to a halt), back up, “Could you repeat that??” She says the same thing again, as calmly as telling you that it is 75 degrees outside. I’m immediately then drawn to the picture again and notice one glaring thing that I completely overlooked...if you look closely there is NO REFRIGERATOR in the picture!!! Now one would think that this is a fluke of some sort, maybe they were in the process of updating the appliances or maybe it was moved for them to clean behind it or maybe it is hidden in the dark wood paneling you see on the back left..But no, as I continued my search I came across several more apartments in which you were required to bring your own refrigerator. Now I may be a woman of many talents but pulling a Kenmore out of my back pocket is not one of them. I’m not sure how many cities you have lived in, but with my move to Los Angeles this will make my 8th (shout Outs to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Tallahassee, Dayton, Birmingham, Atlanta and Cincinnati) and in none of those places have I ever, upon looking for housing, had to bring my own non easily moveable appliances myself (and by easily moveable I mean by myself-Microwave, toaster, George Foreman grill..you get the picture). I mean I would think that my monthly payment to stay in your fine establishment should at least warrant me the decency of having common household appliances provided...what the heck am I paying for from $1000-$2000 a month Los Angeles?? I like to entertain and was looking diligently for a 2 bedroom so my family and friends could be comfortable when they came to visit but sadly enough, this spacious jewel was crossed off my list, and many others bit the dust upon my actually driving to the locations where they were and seeing the neighborhoods, buildings, parking, closet space, etc. Lesson #1 for the day-what looks good on paper is not always as good in real life especially if you have a lot of stuff. Lesson #2-If a pool is dirty at the property you are looking at-run for cover cause that probably means other stuff is dirty too. Lesson #3-If none of the people trying to sell you on their place actually live there, that may be a red flag. Lesson #4- If you can get covered parking in hot Cali-Take it!! Finally, I have to go from my spacious 2 car garage home to a small apartment in which I now have to share washer and dryer facilities with other tenants. The gem I finally found didn’t have one of my bigger wants (W&D in the apartment) but did have a bit more closet space and size, unfortunately, I had to choose between square footage/closet space and a W&D, guess which one won…I’m still trying to figure out where some of my stuff is gonna go…

Hollywood in Hollywood (or close to it..) Part I

So my journey to LA (Woodland Hills)has begun and after 2 trips I can say that I am definitely in for a different type of experience. First off, a tip to the wise-when you are doing a cross country flight, the middle seat is NOT your friend. Run, Jump and Leap over everyone to get either a window seat or an exit row seat-I’m just saying…Secondly, who knew there were so many people who go back and forth to Cali every week? I have yet to be on any plane, either coming or going that was not packed to the max, it didn’t matter if it was early morning or the red eye..packed! Third, Airlines are getting completely out of control, they charge for everything, down to snacks and pillows..next thing you know they will charge you for oxygen on the plane! I try to stay to the free stuff- like a drink and peanut. Eventhough I was flying for work, I just could not see myself (or Pep) paying $5 for a box of some crackers and cheese-and that was the cheapest-like many of you who go to the movies, I am all about the snacks in the bag, and luckily that stuff is not a part of the 3oz rule. Let me bring my own crackers and cheese that only cost me $0.50!! Traffic in LA is stupid crazy, I mean, do none of these people work?? Why are there so many cars on the road at 11am?? The major highways have at least 5 lanes going in each direction so I have yet to understand why there is at any time a traffic jam..and how is it possible that anyone in the HOV lane would ever be at a standstill (you were wondering that too? Thought so)?? This place is way too spread out-I went to see my friend who was coaching a boys basketball game and it took me 1hr 45 mins to go 30 miles..I’m not kidding..Yes, it did!

In the next episode: Case of the missing refrigerator…