Rumor has it...

I’ll have a website soon.

After MUCH delay, my developers are working out some (hopefully) final bugs and we’re actually getting close to a launch. There have been more than a few bugs, changes, revisions, etc. over the last three months, but they’ve really stepped up recently and we’re finally getting somewhere. In a matter of a week or so, I hope to be sending out the final stage version to some of you lucky readers and strong supporters (get excited!) asking for some last thoughts, after which we’ll go live...

To answer my beloved friend and family’s number question of the last seven months, I still don’t have a specific launch date. I’ve made the mistake of committing to a date too many times now – let’s all remember the first “coming soon - July 2009" placeholder, which has since been changed to “Fall 20009”, “Winter 2009” and finally “Winter 2010”. There’s nothing worse than over-promising and under-delivering – it’s my biggest pet peeve in life, so it’s been a tough pill to swallow that we missed our July deadline, and every month thereafter until what’s now looking like February 2010. That'll mark nine months since I've been working hard, and hardly working on the site - and with all of the time, money, and sleepless nights - she's definitely my baby.

I appeased myself by starting a facebook WHAT ARE THEY WEARING fan page (linked to our twitter whatRtheyWear and WHAT ARE THEY WEARING Linkedin groups) last fall. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you 178 fans so far.

It’s not that the site involves some form of rocket science, or is highly complex - (although I do think she is starting to look gorgeous) – but it’s common for web development to take what feels like forever. And I can't say I've been perfect in the process - I've learned A TON about things I didn't know existed. But everything happens for a reason right? Let's hope she’s worth the wait.

Stay tuned…

k

"If you want a rainbow...

... you have to put up with the rain." - Dolly Parton.

Yes, it rains in LA. Actually, I should say it RAINS. Right now California is RAINING. LA’s been hit with hard rain since Sunday of this past Martin Luther King long weekend - and it’s predicted to stay strong until Friday. Day 4 and counting… 3 to go!

Growing up in Canada, I’m used to the elements. I’ll admit to becoming fair-weathered temperature-wise since moving to Southern California, but rain and snow still don’t phase me. Living in San Francisco, I couldn’t believe how the state shut down with a bit of rain. People forget how to drive (those who knew how to begin with) – and everything slows right down. If something takes you 15 minutes when it’s dry, it’ll take an hour with California rain. I’m lucky to have my trusty SUV with all-wheel drive, so gratefully I feel just as safe in wet conditions as dry. But it wasn’t until yesterday that I took the rain here seriously… things shut down because as a usually DRY place, California is ill-equipped to handle abnormal amounts of rain – which is anything more than a light drizzle. The mudslides (winter’s answer to summer’s fires) are as dangerous as avalanches, not to mention the floods, and most recently a tornado hitting Long / Huntington Beach and Orange County so strong it flipped cars and threw boats in the arena 30-50 feet in the air. Not just another day in paradise.

There were small breaks of sunshine Monday and yesterday afternoons – my friend and I actually saw a rainbow in the Hollywood Hills as we walked threw knee-deep puddles. But a flood warning remains in effect for Southern California, freeways have been shut down, and after an appearance of hail late this morning, this afternoon we’re gearing up for more heavy rain (up to 1.5 inches per hour) and high winds (50 -60 miles per hour). It’s advised not to leave your home if you don’t have to – OK, home office!

We might be prepared for earthquakes (some of us more than others - I promise to FINALLY buy my “earthquake kit” this weekend) – but this amount of fog, wind and rain can in fact be DISASTROUS and isn’t to be taken lightly. It’s a good thing I have three pairs of Wellies.

Stay dry!

k

Martin Luther King Monday

There are a few things American’s have right – a long weekend in January is DEFINITELY one of them. This weekend marks the first US holiday weekend of 2010. It’s excitingly followed by "President’s Day" next month (oddly "Family Day" hasn’t come south of the border). My best friend interestingly pointed out that January is when a new President's inauguration happens, and February is “Black History Month” – yet "Martin Luther King Day" is in January, and "President’s Day" is in February. Hmmm. Like I said – they have a few things right.

In honor of Dr. King’s memory, I’ve included a link below to a 17-minute video of his “I have a dream” speech. It's worth a watch.

http://www.mlkonline.net/video-i-have-a-dream-speech.html

I wonder if he ever dreamt of having a black President... "Free at last!"

What’s your dream?

k

So Type A…

I recently became obsessed with finding out my blood type. Mostly because I didn’t know it and I think this is a VERY important piece of valuable information for everyone to have, but also because a month into my vegan-macrobiotic transition, things aren’t going so smoothly. I haven’t had any animal products or byproducts for four weeks, and my body doesn’t seem to be reacting very well to this significant change. A few wise people asked about my blood type, explaining that some types need animal protein more than others. So I set to find out. My Toronto doctor said she couldn’t run the test unless I was pregnant (no!!) or needed a blood transfusion, but I could find out by giving blood. So I tried to donate blood in Toronto the next day, only to find out you can't within 24 hours of a dental cleaning. That ruled me out as I’d just seen my dentist. Back in LA, I contacted the UCLA platelet centre and after passing the initial prescreening, set up an appointment to donate. Unfortunately after explaining to a young technician that Nepal is a country, and Mount Everest is in fact a Mountain – I was denied as a donor until January 2011, because Nepal has a high risk for malaria. Explaining the elevation of Everest didn’t help, but at that point I wasn’t sure I wanted her putting a needle anywhere near me. I then ordered an online typing kit and put my grade 11 Biology skills to work, only to get an inconclusive result. Awesome. My last resort was to see my LA doctor, who happily did the typing test right in her office (sorry but I love US healthcare). Two days later she called me to let me know I’m Type A (negative). Classic.

Anyone who knows me, or who has read this blog, likely knows I’m a typical type A. It’s a funny coincidence that this now has more than one meaning for me. Not surprisingly, the A blood types are described as having fragile digestive systems – again anyone who knows me, knows this is an understatement, primarily thanks to my fantastic global travels (worth it!). It’s actually recommended that I have a vegetarian diet – but in adopting a “Eat Right for Your Type” diet, there are all kinds of other things it suggests I eliminate. A negative is a rare type outside of Africans (which works out well for me as I’ve always wanted to be African) – and is only prominent in about 7% of Canadians.

Dare to be different right?!

k

Happy New YOU!

I stole that from a Kellogg’s Special K ad I saw in Melbourne last January and I kind of love it. There’s something magical about this time of year. I’m not nearly as into Christmas and the December festivities as I am birthdays (thankfully those come every day) – for the most part I could take or leave the holidays. But I do love starting a new year. It’s a cleansing and refreshing feeling. A fresh start. A blank slate. I love making resolutions, setting goals, and well certainly adopting a few changes – 2009 was definitely one for the books in that respect.

Last year on December 21^st, 2008 – I flew from Toronto to LA en route to Singapore, and eventually Nepal and (finally) Mount Everest. This year on December 21^st, 2009 – I flew from LA to Toronto to spend 6 days with East Coast friends and family. Last year on December 31^st, 2009 – I spent New Year’s Eve with my Nepalese guide and sherpa, neither of whom I’d known for more than a week – as well as couple of other trekkers I met that day. This year on December 31^st, 2009 – I spent New Year’s Eve with new LA friends I met this fall. Last year on January 1^st, 2009 – I trekked to Base Camp, and Kala Patthar - an excess of 20,000 ft. It was minus 40 degrees celsius without the wind chill. I woke up on New Year’s day (at 5am) to a frozen hot water bottle in my sleeping bag. This year on January 1^st, 2009 - I hiked Runyon Canyon – maybe 2,000 ft above sea level at its highest peak. I woke up (at 10am) to 20 degrees celsius and my warm bed. What a difference a year makes. From one extreme to the other, one thing remains the same – it’s a new year!!

Happy 2010. Make it your best year yet.

k

"Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself." - Unknown