I’m a middle sister and I’ve always been a bit of a rebel. So when Amy & I each received this wine as a holiday gift from HRI Talent, we rejoiced in its appropriateness. I’m now sipping my last glass from the bottle (it took me about a week to finish it so little wonder the wine’s seen better days) with my dinner entree of cappellini pasta w/artichokes, mushrooms, fines herbes, grated parmesan and Trader Joe’s Calif Estate Virgin Olive Oil + spices.

Today was one of those days when you just do the tasks at hand; nothing more and nothing less. Got up around 8:30 am, drank french roast over emails and articles and photos about last night’s Golden Globes. Did some work stuff (we’re about to launch into casting hair models for a 3-spot L’Oreal Campaign featuring Eva Longoria, Gwen Stefani and Aimee Mullins), but not a lot b/c tomorrow’s the official prep day. Why? Because today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Wish I’d had it in me to join a festivity, as I did when I first moved to the ‘hood and went to the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s MLK Day Event. Hmm, there’s always next year, I suppose. But thankfully I do keep up on civil rights—any infractions thereof that I may learn about, and what’s being done to assuage them. As bad as it may get at times here in the U.S., it’s heluva lot worse outside this country, where anything that wreaks of “civil” and “rights” don’t exist.

This morning Sonya my housekeeper made her biweekly visit. I then went to my house in Silverlake to check on the progress of the housepainting. I was surprised as to just how bright the ultra soft shade of pale aqua-y blue I chose, appears. I had a sample, I bought a small can, I had Puf put it up on a wall, and chose it against 7 others. But still, it looks waaay bright. Oh well, as mom said, blues fade. And my last light blue did too. So there ya have it! He didn’t have his standard team of workers today; he had his son Jovencio, who was out of school b/c of the holiday. I noticed Jovencio’s mistakes, and even though he’s a sweet kid I must admit I was pissed b/c I had told Puf before the job’s onset that I didn’t want his son assisting him on painting and he agreed.

After paying him another chunk of the total $4,000 painting fee—plus 2 days work on the balconies—I went to Trader Joe’s to get a few things. Then home to unload and change, then to Yoga. Yoga was great. It started very remedial (done when there’s new students in class) but then caught up when we did headstands and shoulder stands. The time went fast, which is great. I then went to CVS and got some bathroom sundries. Then home, where I caught up on email, made dinner, and now you’re up to date on me. Oh, and the Rebel Red is now…..consumed.

I’m trying as best I can not to dip into my savings to pay for all this home-improvement, but unless I get another paycheck soon, I’ll have to. After all, I still have my new iMac to pay for when the next credit card bill arrives.