February Recap.

It was a short, but sweet month. Cold, too. It actually snowed in parts of L.A. for a hot second.  It was also a busy month at LA Fashion Insider, Inc. as we get ready to launch our line. Hopefully it’s a successful endeavor because we’ve operated at a loss for the third month in a row. Kumamoto oysters are expensive.  At least we’re down to paying for only one set of braces. 

What’s done…

#30. Bought a new fridge.  Even put some food in it.

#72. Enjoyed Valentine’s dinner at Comme Ca. 

#77. Filled a few garbage bags worth of clothes and shoes. As it is with my writing, nothing is more satisfying than editing.

#89. Louboutins for Sonia. She made me aware that I have bought her a pair in Paris, London and LA and that we should keep the trend going. Pfff.

#97. Ate a fine meal at A.O.C. 

What’s In Progress…

#2. Our humble little line is now sold in ten stores. I’d love to double that this month.

#4. Haven’t tried this yet, but my Aunt Ona shoots me an email after every dinner or purchase post. 

#6. Packers are World Champs. I must take advantage of this and create some momentum.

#7. Our scale’s batteries died so I have no idea how much weight I’ve put on since the last weigh in at 170.  However, I am certain that I would be pretty disgusted with myself.  I’m guessing north of 175.

#10. Like I said, third month in a row at a loss. Going to have to make a quick turnaround. 

#11. Liked the King’s Speech a lot. Can’t believe I’ve only seen two movies this year.

That’s it for now. March on.

My daughter chose Kusshi oysters as her braces off dinner, so no complaints from Sonia and me.

I’ve always wanted braces.  Dentists have been pushing me to get them since I was ten years old. But after seeing what Sonia and Brittany have endured, I will gladly keep my crooked teeth.  Looks good on you though, Brit.

After…

Before…

I agree with most reviewers of the Oscars that described the telecast as blase.  The hosts failed to make the event “younger” or “hipper”, in fact, they just failed. I think the awards went to the right people for the most part, but there was hardly a stand out moment.  

On a personal front, it was the first time that I watched the red carpet pre-show and didn’t envision walking down it. That’s not to say my movie making career is finished, it just means that I am uninterested in “The Life”.  My goal to make “Cheeseheads” is as strong as ever. I think my biggest problem the last eight or so years was that I was an “insider”. I had managers and an agent from a major agency that represented hundred million dollar actors and directors. I spent my days driving around town meeting with well connected development executives who had no intention of making a small quirky dramedy. Hollywood doesn’t make the kind of movies I write, they buy them from outsiders after they are already made and well received at the festivals. So, that is what I will do. I fired my representation the Hollywood way, we just stopped taking each other’s calls. So, now I’m officially an “outsider”. I will make the movie that I want to make with no expectations or desires of it leading to fame, glitz, glamour or ridiculous profits.  Well, maybe the profits. After all, I am a corporate CFO now.

#89 done.  Visited Christian Louboutin near the HIlls of Beverly and made good on that Valentine’s Day present for Sonia. 

#97 done. Lucques is one of my favorite L.A. restaurants, so it was a no brainer that we had to try its sister restaurant, A.O.C. The concept is small plates and paired wine. Everything was very good. The clams in a sherry wine sauce was the winner. 

#2 in progress. Added Louisiana to the list.  We’re still in soft launch mode, so we’re only selling to our buying agency clients. We hope to officially launch the line at the end of March.

#98 in progress. 4th restaurant with a kumamoto starter.

Finally, a quality road win. We may just make the tourney after all.

#77 Done. Although it was great filling three garbage bags worth of clothes, I still don’t have the room I want for my wardrobe. Sonia will have no problem convincing me that we need a walk in closet in the next house.

#77 in progress.  Found a solution to my shoe mess.

If I haven’t jumped out of a building come March 15th, I will celebrate by stepping down as CFO from LA Fashion Insider, Inc and accept my new position as Vice President of Fun.

#2 in progress. Added stores in Texas and Mississippi.

My Valentine’s Gift. A Hermes Belt. I’ll have to rethink my card to Sonia.

As if we needed a reason to dress up and go to dinner. Knocked off #72 with a V-Day dinner.  Oh yeah, had some oysters, too.

Brittany’s best friend celebrated her sweet 16 last night. Yet another reminder that we’ll be tested in the near future.

#98 in progress. Oysters at Spago. Two down, eight to go.

Saturday lunch at Spago in Beverly Hills. So, basically we’re going out as much as possible before our accountant finishes our tax return and informs us we can never eat out again. 

Brittany

Even for Rodeo Drive, this is a bit much to park curbside.

#11 in progress. Finally saw A King’s Speech. Eh..eh..eh..Excellent.

Happy Birthday to my oldest nephew, Dylan!

January Recap

Another year, another list.  Despite only knocking off three goals in the month of January, I’m feeling optimistic about this year’s success rate.  As storms ravaged the South, East Coast and Midwest, we basked in the sunshine.  Too bad I was sick seventy percent of the month. But, when I wasn’t sick, I was enjoying lounging poolside in Hollywood, witnessing a perfect Vegas wedding with friends, meeting Dwyane Wade, eating plenty of good sushi, catching up on a few movies, and making sure our company can continue to support us.

Here’s what’s done:

#1 Rang in the New Year with bow tie style.

#48 Ate near perfect sushi at Sugar Fish

#50 Caught a winter sun tan at the Roosevelt Pool in Hollywood.

In Progress:

#2 With a soft launch, our line, Basically Me, is currently sold in seven states.  

#7 Gained a couple of lbs since the first. 

#11 Saw the Fighter. One down, nine to go.

#14 Have done absolutely nothing to make this happen

#16 Finished The Girl Who Played With Fire. Four to go.

#27 The Roosevelt. Four to go.

Go Pack, go.

#98 in progress. First oysters of the year at Mastros in Thousand Oaks with Sonia, Brit and my sister, Michelle. Michelle refused to partake.

#30 done. The Mac daddy of twin turbo cooling. Brit wants to know if we’ll ever put food in it.

A little slow tonight, eh Lloyd?

Fought traffic downtown to see the Clips play the Bulls, only it was the Lakers vs. the Rockets because our game is actually tomorrow. Nevertheless, we made the most of it and ate a boatload of amazing sushi. Once finished, I began to tally up the large bill when the busboy proceeded to spill a bowl of soy sauce on my pants. Since I was going home I really didn’t care, but the busboy ran to his manager who promptly covered the bill and dry cleaning. Despite it all, I’d score the night as a win.

Happy 17th Sis!

Room with a view. Back in Vegas.

Happy Birthday to my niece and nephew.

Enjoyed dinner and the Lakers game with my Dad where we talked about the Clippers.

Dedication. Playoffs brings out the early in her. Unfortunately, the Packers were too much for the Bears.  But, there’s always a silver lining…. I don’t have to rewrite Cheeseheads.

Netflixed Knight & Day. An entertaining action movie.

#48 done. More and more restaurants are opening in downtown L.A. and for us, Sugarfish is one of the most welcome.  A traditional sushi restaurant that makes it all about the quality of the fish. There were a couple misses, but most of the sushi would just melt in your mouth. I don’t normally eat salmon sushi, but I’ll order it every time at this place.

#16 in Progress. Read The Girl Who Played With Fire. Didn’t like it as much as his first one, but still very good.

When friends open up a gastro pub within walking distance of your home, you tend to discover fewer eateries. This hit home last night when I noticed their computer system had a Ken & Sonia comp.

#50 done. We thought we’d have to get on a plane to accomplish this one, but Summer broke out in January in L.A., so Sonia and I spent the day poolside at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. It was the only way I was going to get over one of the the worst losses in MU history.

Said hello to Marquette Alum, Dwyane Wade moments after the lowly Clippers destroyed them. 

And that is why we live here.

Brit’s team got thumped 10-0 and high school soccer will kill me. But, at least we all know this will be the final season. It’s all club from here on out.

All is right again at Marquette after our boys throttled 11th ranked Notre Dame by 22 points. Playing 7 ranked opponents in 8 games. So far, so good.

#2 in progress. So far, so good, but… Getting our line sold in places like Montana, Alaska, and Wyoming, may be a Herculean task. 

Saturday morning viewing. I liked it.

Brit had a hat trick in the first half to secure a 6-0 win. Still…