Give me a ring, darling!

I am in love with this ring. I am more in love with my fabulous boyfriend, CE, but this ring is really something. Last summer we stopped by Tiffany in NYC (actually at CE's urging) and it was just so beautiful in it's simplicity and very exciting for me to be trying on engagement rings. I called my mother up in the Bay Area from the Ladies Room just to share the excitement with her. For those who don't know my 'back story' there is a long, interesting one which led me to this point of considering being engaged and marrying again. I promise to share it with you soon but for now just behold this beautiful ring!

For the Love of Susan Silver

How many other Susan Silver fans are there out there? I am a devout reader of the New York Social Diary and have followed Susan's column "The Search for Mr. Adequate" since Day One. Over the past 2 years I have followed her dating life on a weekly basis so you can imagine how sad I was to learn that she will no longer be writing her weekly column. The NYSD has changed it's format beginning this week and Susan will now be a 'guest' writer. I will miss her so much. She has promised to revive her blog www.mradequate.blogspot.com so that gives me something to look forward to. If you are not familiar with Susan or her fabulous 'Search for Mr. Adequate' I believe you can still pull up her archives on www.newyorksocialdiary.com under the 'guest' heading. I guess all good things must come to an end but hopefully this will just be a new beginning for Susan and her Faithful Readers!

Pretzels

My mouth is watering at the sight of these pretzels. I think I could live on these things. Last year I swore off movie theater popcorn after a bad episode with stale popcorn at my local AMC and made the switch to pretzels and have never looked back. As most foods do, these taste better in NY. On my last trip I saw a police car against the curb at 8Th and 55Th with the officer holding the mustard bottle up in the air, steering wheel height, squirting the mustard down onto the pretzel which must have been on his lap. It was a perfect NY sight.

Spring and Leprechauns and Cheap Wine

Good morning my loyal readers! So sorry for the long absence. Your Bon Vivant has been remiss in filling you in on her daily doings and is terribly, terribly sorry! The weather here in LA has been beautiful and now with the time change this past weekend it feels like spring already. Friday night was a fun fix-up double date - I didn't predict it would be a great match but knew that the two would enjoy each others' company and they did and it was good. My dear boyfriend, CE, has a large social circle including many single Jewish friends so I was looking forward to setting up this friend of mine who is lovely and looking to start dating and socializing more. We met over at the Skylight Theater on Vermont Ave. It's been a few years since I visited that part of town but must go there again. So, we met in front of the theater and walked over to an Italian restaurant (I'm blanking on the name...maybe Palermo?) and shared a big pizza and the two didn't talk much but it was fun and lighthearted and a little noisy. After our meal we still had about 30 minutes until our show so we crossed the street to "House of Pies" and shared a big slice of chocolate cream pie with extra whipped cream. Very fun and reminded me of a high school date with 4 people sharing one slice of pie. After our pie we walked over to the theater and found our seats for the 'Brother Theodore' tribute. I was not at all familiar with Brother Theodore but our two NY guys knew the original BT from his 20-year run in NYC and frequent David Letterman guest spots. This was a tribute to the performer who was obsessed with dying but lived and performed until age 90. After the show there was a reception and feeling a little chill I decided to try a white wine and had one of those moments where I was thinking something (This must have been bought at the 99cents store) and I actually said it. Only a few people heard but it sounded very rude and I immediately apologized and looked at the bottle and it was a Charles Shaw which retails for $1.99 so my 'wine nose' was off by a dollar. Still, I felt bad for saying it out loud. I am not a wine snob in any sense of the word but this wine really did have a dusty-musty taste to it. Our evening ended with hugs and a 'This was fun lets all do it again' from CE's friend so we'll see what happens there...
Yesterday was spent at home decorating for St. Patty's day and Spring! I love the way my home looks now and I am motivated to start my spring cleaning now. Last night I moved all of the living room and dining room furniture and this morning will clean clean clean 'til this place shines like the top of the Chrysler Building! Speaking of which, I may have the opportunity to travel back to my beloved NYC for Memorial Day weekend. Ahhh, I can taste the coffee now. Dunkin' Donuts here I come.

Cronkite and Cooper!

Monday night was chilly and clear up at Universal Citywalk and I had the great fortune of being able to see two of my all-time favorite newsmen in person. The University of Judaism department of continuing education hosted this event at Universal's Gibson Amphitheater. CE and I were running late and starving so we found a crepe restaurant at Citywalk and made a dinner out of french fries with fabulous dipping sauces (I had the pesto-mayo) as we rushed over to the theater. What a night! I love Anderson Cooper and believe that he is one of the greatest reporters of our generation, he has a vulnerability rarely seen nowadays in reporters covering hard news. After a brief introduction, Walter Cronkite entered to a standing ovation from a nearly full house. At 90 years old, Mr. Cronkite was full of life and entertaining stories. Our seats were close but I kept looking at the monitors and then reminding myself to watch the stage instead - I have seen Walter Cronkite on a monitor my entire life and this was a chance to watch him in person. Such a treat for this Bon Vivant!

The Other Awards

In honor of tonight's awards show I'd like to report on a fabulously entertaining event I attended Friday night. "The 2nd Annual 67th Annual Fake Awards" were held at the Fake Gallery on Melrose www.fakedotcom.com and I still cannot believe how funny this was. Movies which I had forgotten about from 2006 were nominated and rather than showing clips from them the talented Fake Gallery performers re-enacted key scenes from: Snakes on a Plane, Pirates of the Caribbean (including an appearance by Cap'n Crunch) plus several academy-nominated films. The performance was complete with live music, a charming tuxedoed emcee, a live commercial and a Lifetime Achievement Award winner who made his way to the podium with a walker wearing half a suit and a diaper. I was tickled with my goodie bag (certainly not as fancy as the the ones that will be given out tonight) and also to see how many attendees dressed up in old Hollywood glamour for this hilarious event. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a 3rd annual awards ceremony next year and if the level of Friday night's talent is any indicator I'll definitely visit the Fake Gallery for other productions.

Searching for a signature piece

I keep trying to find a 'signature' style piece for myself! All truly stylish people have one. I read that Jackie O kept a basket full of her signature sunglasses on a table near her front door. I think about Truman Capote with his glasses. I'm just not a glasses person so that shouldn't be my signature piece. I've considered wearing combinations of black and white all the time but I wold miss color too much. Besides, I'm trying very hard to stop wearing black to social events in LA - I am sick to death of seeing a sea of highlighted blondes in black. In a dark room it looks like a bunch of floating heads. I've tried wearing red all the time but it really washes out my pale complexion. I've considered making a certain pin my signature piece but I know I'd get tired of that and people would wonder what was wrong with me for always wearing it. I don't want to be recognized for always carrying a big purse or wearing a certain color. There was one woman all over the society pages a couple of years ago, Rachel Feinstein (I think) who always wore a big cocktail ring and showed it off in every picture. I just don't think that's my style, either. I'll keep you posted on my search for a signature style piece. Please share any suggestions!

Missing NYC coffee

I just found a ceramic version of this classic New York coffee cup http://areyoubeingserved.com and I'm tickled! My first cup of coffee on my very first trip to NYC was in one of these cups so it holds sentimental value for me. I couldn't believe how good it tasted or how cheap it was. I found that everything tastes better in New York. It must be something in the water. I have found some tasty pizza here in LA at a place called "Lamonica's New York Pizza" they fly in NYC water to make their dough.

The High Style of Dorothy Draper

This fabulous book was written in 1941 by high society interior decorator Dorothy Draper. I fell in love with her 'devil may care' approach to decorating and her urging of 50's housewives to "go ahead - paint that door green!" Dorothy exemplified the Bon Vivant spirit. My wonderful boyfriend, C.E., and I were in NYC last summer and visited The Museum of the City of New York for an exhibit showcasing Ms. Draper's style - such inspiration! My first Draper inspiration is to think about my front door and what it says to the world. I just bought a luxurious, oversized welcome mat and now must find 2 grand matching pots in which to plant some friendly-looking plants!