This Is It

Living in a big city has its ups and downs for me. It was the most exciting thing in the world when I first moved to L.A., but eventually the negatives of city life started to wear on me. I do still love the feeling of being in the center of things and where things are "happening." Michael often becomes awestruck when we drive into downtown. On my drive home from work I drive past Lakers games at the Staples center, award shows at L.A. Live, and all sorts of events. Some times it's fun driving past it and then going home and watching it on TV. I started making a list of some of my favorite surreal moments in our city.

-Watching Dodger fireworks from our balcony

We actually first thought they were gunshots, but were very pleased to find out they were fireworks.

-Going to game 7 in the Lakers playoffs

I always get giddy going to any Lakers game. They are always so much fun.

-Whip It premiere

I made Michael go with me to the Whip It premiere. We didn't have the best seats but it was so fun. We saw Quentin Tarantino, Ed Norton, Drew Barrymore, Steven Spielberg, etc and we were constantly star struck. It was a really fun night at Grauman's Chinese Theater and who doesn’t love free soda and popcorn. I also will finally admit the Drew Barrymore was actually pretty.

-USC football games

I've actually have not been to one yet, but there is always so much energy around campus before games.

-Lakers Parade

Kind of a rough crowd, but it did make our day a bit more exciting.

-Watching Michael Jackson's processional right outside of our building.

I've had a lifelong obsession with Michael Jackson's music and it was pretty surreal to be watching his funeral and processional on TV and then see it outside of our building.

-Seeing "The Roommate" film at USC

All summer they have film crews on campus. One of my favorite days seeing a film crew was when my friend Cathryn and I were on our daily walk and we walked past Leighton Meister and Minka Kelly sitting in their actor chairs talking. It was pretty amusing to see.

-Hosting a Time Traveler's Wife book club at the Santa Monica Library where the author made a surprise visit and we got to discuss her book with her.

This happened before we were married and it was so fun for a fiction junkie like me.

But it's not all roses here in L.A., so I made my list of some of our lows as well . . .

-Having both of our cars broken into over the course of the week. Michael's was parked on the street when it happened and mine was parked inside our garage.

-Michael losing our house key for a week (We later found it under some leaves in the middle of a center divider on Michael's walk from school to his car.)

-Our birthday present last year was a Best Buy gift card that was stolen from the mail. We got the birthday card and everything else, but the envelope was sliced open with the gift card missing.

I don't know what it's going to be like with a baby in L.A., but I'm pretty sure the double-edged sword of city life will continue.