Joshua Tree

Out of the City


Yesterday Kevin and I decided to get up at 5:30am - a time that I normally only become acquainted with during the week for early-morning runs - to go rock climbing in Joshua Tree. Joshua Tree is about two hours Southeast of LA in the middle of the California desert and gets its name from the odd little trees that make their home in the area. It's beautiful and, plainly put, hot as hell.

My first visit to Joshua Tree was in the Summer of 2004 when I first arrived in Los Angeles. It was the first trip I had taken in California and proved to be a very rewarding one. When Kevin and I were first dating, I spoke to him about my first trip to Joshua Tree. I was going out of town that weekend and was giving him suggestions about what he could do while I was gone. "When you step out of the car in Joshua Tree," I explained, "your ears just open up to the silence and calm of the desert. You could hear a pin drop." I reminded him that it got really hot in the summer months and he should do it now before it got unbearable.

Six months later and we were finally making the trip - right in the heat of the July. The night before we spent a good two hours in Kevin's garage slightly intoxicated and behaving like children. First we unloaded the surf boards from the truck. Next we played with Kevin's mountain bike. Then we found the climbing gear. Kevin taught me about all the different carabiners, ropes, and belay devices. He showed be a water knot - a knot that is surprisingly simple, yet I'm supposed to expect it to hold my entire weight while dangling off of a cliff! I'm not yet convinced.

I was half asleep in bed the next morning when I heard the sprinklers going off outside. This is normally my 5am alarm, so I knew I only had another half an hour. The time past quickly as time normally does when one is fast asleep and slightly hungover. "You ready to drive for two hours," Kevin said. I didn't know I had driving duty, but I anticipated a great day trip and finally got myself out of bed.

Joshua tree is amazing, and the trees themselves are pretty fascinating. They are a monocotyledonous tree with large branches and greenish cluster spikes that grown in the Southwest. It's not a bad trip down I-10 and well worth it if you're into hiking, rock climbing, and camping. To first time visitors, the area can appear pretty stark and barren, but it is actually filled with a variety of wildlife and fascinating rock formations.

Survive The City Tip:
You can find many books on the area - everything from road maps, to campsite information - at any local book store, REI, or even once you get to Joshua Tree. The Joshua Tree visitor center is open all year round from 8-5pm. Plan your trip and make sure to bring lots of water! For more information google "Joshua Tree" or check out some of these sites. http://www.joshua.tree.national-park.com/
http://www.joshuatreechamber.org/

Kiss The Carabiner

While we were in Joshua Tree last weekend, Kevin and I went rock climbing. I've never really rock climbed before. Unless, of course, you count that one time I climbed on an indoor rock in Anderson, South Carolina. Something tells me that that setup of fake plastic rocks and some redneck yelling "Climb Cletus, Climb" while holding a beer in one hand and a belay rope in the other just isn't the scene most rock climbers are looking for. Even my good friend April who took me rock climbing that day didn't seem incredibly thrilled with the experience she was sharing with me.

Anyway, Kevin and I unloaded the truck in the middle of the Joshua Tree Desert. It had to have been at least 100 degrees and it was only 10am.
Dogs weren't allowed off the road, but we couldn't resist the chance to break the rules a little bit. We freed Marley of her leash and let her run amongst the desert creatures she'd been dying to chase. It's quite entertaining to watch her dart back and forth through the brush and sand as she chases an unsuspecting rabbit or two.

So here we are, walking through the Joshua Trees towards these amazing rock formations. With backpacks filled with gear and water bottles in our hands, we sought out the perfect rock to climb. The evening before, I had told Kevin I didn't like the feel of chalk on my hands, so today he insisted I carry the chalk bag. "Since you don't like chalk, you carry the chalk." Perhaps this was his way of making sure I bonded with the chalk before the climb. As we walked, I carefully filed my nails in preparation. For those of you who know me well, having long nails is quite unusual. I bite them, and when I don't in an attempt to make them grow, they usually break or peel. However, on this particular day my nails were long. I'd spent the last two weeks putting some form of Sally Hansen Miracle Grow on them and it was finally paying off. As I filed them down to their usual stubby state, I noted the irony of the situation.

We found one particular rock that didn't look too difficult to climb. Later I'd quickly learn that a rock's appearance is often deceiving. It looked easy, but for this first-timer, it was not. We checked out the face of the rock and then moved to the back to climb up to the top.
Here we'd prepare the ropes. Kevin walked me through the process step by step as we created our support system. I wanted to trust the ropes, and I wanted to trust him, but I couldn't help but think about my mother and the horrible dreams she has of me falling off a cliff. So as Kevin hung from the edge, I placed myself firmly on a solid rock and watched him safely from afar.

Then we started the climb. It was easy at first as I placed my feet and hands, but the farther I got, there weren't as many places to put my feet or grab on to. Then Kevin picked the perfect time to take pictures - right when I was completely scared to death. "I'm going to take a video," he yelled up at me. "Kevin please! I'm freakin out here. Don't let go of the rope." "Now how can I hold the rope and take a video," he joked. I didn't find it funny. I don't like to give up though, so as tough as it seemed to be, I continued climbing as Kevin yelled, "Kiss the Carabiner baby, you gotta kiss the Carabiner." He later made fun of me for actually having kissed the thing.
"Hey, watch it Kevin," I said, "It was my first time; you should be proud of me, not making fun of me!" No worries though - I got back at him when it was his turn to climb. I told him I know how to belay, but I'm not so sure I had a clue as to what I was doing. "Honey, of course I wouldn't let you fall." But remember folks, it was Cletus who taught me how to belay.

I Go Rough

Okay people, let's face the music - the advertising music that is. If you ask me, owning a Chevy, unless of course it's a 'Vette', is about as classy as going to the prom with your cousin or serving Twinkies at your wedding. And don't even get me started on Dodges. Dodges suck. I will never own another Dodge again. Ever, ever, ever. The only reason they make Dodges is so that junkyards won't be left empty! But the war of trucks will continue and I have to hand it to Chevy for coming up with a pretty kick-ass ad campaign that has stuck in all of our heads over the years. In fact the "Like a Rock" campaign was so successful that Chevy is now looking for a new jingle for its passenger car division that will get the target market humming again.

But I digress. As you can tell,
my loathing of American vehicles is strong, so you can imagine that I'm thrilled by the fact that Kevin drives a Toyota. I love this truck. In fact, I think it's the first time I've ever felt emotion towards an inanimate object -(don't tell her or her owner that I called her inanimate!).


This weekend we went "four-wheeling" and had a blast. At one point we got the truck "stuck" so we got out to take a few pictures. It wasn't a problem though - this vehicle can handle just about anything.

As we drove, I told Kevin a story about how, when I was a child, I didn't quite understand the lyrics in the Chevy commercial. "I go rough," I thought it said. I sang to Kevin as we rode along, "You know... Ohhhh I go rough..." He got a big kick out of it. Actually, at first he thought I was saying "Like it Rough...oh I like it rough." Now if I were singing those lyrics as an eight-year old, that, my friends, would be comparative to marrying your sister in a shotgun wedding and serving ding dongs! Yeee Hawwwww!

Skiing in May

Well sadly Kevin and I didn't take any pictures of our weekend Ski trip in Mammoth. I remain loyal to my theory that "the best times are often undocumented" but maybe that's just an excuse.

I'd just like to start off by saying, "Can you belive I went skiing in May?"

When I stuck my head into Jeff's office on Friday afternoon (He's the Exec. Prod at my company) he was having a meeting with Laura (my boss). She said, "Go, go home, go skiing," and to that Jeff questioned, "water skiing??"

No I replied, though the thought saddened me just a bit as we all know how addicted I am to water skiing. Snow skiing in May would have to do.

I'd loaded my car on my lunch break, so as soon as I finished at the office I was ready to go meet Kevin at his place. We'd spent the afternoon texting each other about our excitement for the weekend ahead. At one point I decided I'd find a funny little poem about skiing and send it to him, so I found this poem:



Skiing by Philip Mitchell


Skiing?

No I don't think so
I don't want to break a limb
I fancy my chances of staying intact are hopelessly, painfully slim.

My balance is all wrong you see
I can't even walk a straight line
No, a pair of skis are incompatible with these clumsy legs of mine.

I'll admit the scenery looks amazing, in the brochures that I've seen,
But there's a world of danger in the:
a) trees
b) cliffs
c) slopes
d) ravines

Call me a wimp,
I don't care
I'll admit I am a cynic.
But I don't want to spend my hard earned cash
On a holiday that ends in the clinic.

Copyright; Phillip Mitchell


I thought it was a funny little poem, but I decided to add my own poetic response before sending the email to Kevin, so I wrote this: (pardon the language)


Skiing?

Pass it up
You must be insane
Because many can't wait to get on the slopes, and often they welcome the pain.

Though your balance is off
and you do seem quite lazy
If you pass this chance up, I dare say you are most definitely crazy!

Oh Dear, dear Unfortunate Phillip, the things that you'd be missing
Freak accidents can occur at anytime
like when you're:
a) driving
b) cooking
c) working
d) even pissing

So get off your ass
Grab your ski boots
and stop being such a wussy
Cause one day in a clinic is clearly not as bad
As spending the rest of your life as a fuckin pussy!!

Copyright Heather Broeker


Kevin got a kick out of this and sent my "edited" version to his friend Dave who owns a ski shop. Kevin consults for the ski shop and apparently Kevin and Dave intend to post my poetic genius.


So Kevin and I left LA around 7pm, an inconvinient time for avoiding traffic, but none the less we managed to keep up a good driving pace. Mammoth is about 5-6 hours outside of LA, and Kevin intended to stop around Bishop to camp. Using one of his maps, he found a dusty dirt road that his truck handled just find. We headed towards some hot springs and found a deserted area set beautifully between the mountains and blanketed by a star-filled ski. We camped in the back of his truck- an experience that was surprisingly warm, comfortable, and serene. We awoke refreshed and ready to hit the slopes. After grabbing a bite to eat and getting our gear on, we rode the guandela up Mammoth mountian. The skiing was a bit slushy, but the lack of vast crowds and aloof snow bunnies made up for the slightly difficult snow. We got a few runs in - Kevin was happy to push me a bit as he encouraged some "through the tree" skiing and one slope in particular that I would have rathered not try. Sandwiched between large rocks on one side and patches of dirt from the melted snow on the other, I hesitantly skiied down a narrow incline. It wasn't as bad as it looked - it never is, but it surly wasn't something I would have done unguided.

We took a beer break around noon. Kevin managed to perform some extreme alcohol abuse as he spilled not one, but two of his beers. Four beers and 28 bucks later, we each had the equivilant of maybe one beer in our systems. We hit one more slope and then headed to the car to retrieve Marley (Kevin's dog) who eagerly awaited our arrival.

Then we attempted to hit up some Hot Springs. The first was a bit too toristy for our liking. As we peered over the edge of the cliff in the Hot Springs' parking lot, we noticed about 15 people hundled together in the middle of a river. It seemed that was the only area warm enough to welcome swimmers, and we prefered not to get so intimate with strangers. We headed further up the rocky dirt paths and found another hot spring - this time there were only a few people, so we settled for the location. As Marley played with the other dogs in the mud, we sat in a natural pool of hot water and listened to two Mexican men talking about their work and the 15 free packs of cigarettes their employer provided each day. God bless America.

Later we went to Convict lake to bathe the now dirty Marley. With the dog clean, and us in dry clothes, we headed to Convict Lakes 4-Star restaurant. We had Rack of Lamb and Sea Scallops followed by Banana's Foster for dessert. Kevin told stories of his childhood camping trips during which the families obviously took much pride in meal preparation. While it seems that normal family camping trips are filled with hot dogs, s'mores and beans from a can, Kevin's family was cooking up filet mignon, homemade pizzas, roasts, and yes, Banana's Foster. I'm sure the evening's dessert left him with fond memories and most definitely a full stomach.

We got back on the road to head south where we'd camp again for the night. We found another old dirt road that supposedly housed another hot spring - according to Kevin's book. It, however, took as a while to find this one. The eary road was seemingly a Vortex as the path to the camp site was no where to be found. I was thanking my lucky stars that I hadn't watched any horror movies lately as the vacant road creeped me out just a bit. Once we found the spot, we took a look at the large hot spring pool. It's amazing what a bit of darkness can do to a pool of water - neither of us wanted to go near the thing as it looked incredibly uninviting. We set up camp in the back of the truck, I took out my contacts, and just as we were both falling asleep I hear Kevin say, "you've got to be kiding me". "What?" I was thinking, but then I got my answer as I felt the rain coming down on my head. We both jumped up quickly and began to pack everything up as the wind started to pick up.

Something blew out of the truck and I, still lacking my site without contacts, ran off into the darkness to attempt to retreive it. I didn't get far though as I felt the earth below me soften and sink between my toes. I was up to my calfs in mud or muck of some sort and no matter what way I turned to step, it seemed as if I'd never get out of the watery sink hole. I emerged finally and scampered back to the car. By this time the rain had stopped. Ironically, though, the entire car was now packed up and I was drenched in water and mud. To make matters worse, I couldn't see anything. Kevin led me over to the scary hot spring where I attempted to clean myself off. I stripped down to my t-shirt and cleaned my feet and shoes. We through my pants in the back of the truck and attempted to sleep in the car of the truck. It wasn't too uncomfortable, so we decided to remain there for the evening.

In the morning, the camp site was surly a comedic site. The mud spot that had felt like the entire world sinking into a murky grave the night before, was merely a tiny mud puddle in the morning light. Kevin was still sleeping (now on the ground outside) as I laughed at the foot prints I had made in the mud. It appeared that I had litterally stepped EVERYWHERE in the mud except for in the direction that would have led me to dry land. Like some odd diagram of dance steps, I could see the path I had made through the mud puddle in front of me. I went back to sleep for a bit, but was awoken when Kevin opened my door. He too must have seen the mud puddle as he was cracking up. "Did you see where you stepped last night" At least my run in with the mud puddle had made for some early morning laughs.

We got back on the road and headed further south. We took the scenic route home and saw some pretty amazing parts of California. I'd say all in all it was a pretty eventful May ski trip.

Ca De Sole

My friend Jennifer turned 23 on the 27th. We went to Ca De Sole, the restaurant that I wrote a review on a few months ago. It's a really nice Italian restaurant and the perfect setting for a fun and fabulous time with friends. Besides the Unicorn Premiere, it was the first time I really got to introduce Kevin to some of my friends. We had a blast and the food, as it was before, was excellent.

Here is the review I wrote about the restaurant:

Ca Del Sole - A slice of Italy in the Valley

Depart from the bustling streets of North Hollywood and enter the house of the sun. Ca Del Sole will romance your taste buds with rich Italian cuisine and take you far from the valley into a world of Venetian delight.
Located at 4100 Cahuenga Boulevard just off of Lankershim, this Italian restaurant and bar is a refreshing break from the norm that surprises you from the moment you drive up to the entrance. As the restaurant is located on a street surrounded by car dealerships and hole-in-the-wall shops, one would not normally expect the treasure that awaits, but let it be assured that this is indeed a diamond in the rough.
Experience a taste of Venice in one of Ca Del Sole’s three uniquely designed dining rooms or consider their elegant banquet facilities for your next big event. Before dining, you might arrive early and enjoy cocktail hour in their cozy bar as their exquisite wine list is surly deserving of time and attention. Valet parking is available and reasonably priced.
Enter down the path of twinkling lights and creeping vines that cover the arched walkway into the dimly-lit entry hall where you will be graciously greeted. From George Gallo's landscapes that line the whitewashed brick walls to the warm glow of the double-faced fireplace, the dining experience is both cozy and classic. Guests can sit comfortably in decorative booths with large, linen-covered tables that leave ample room for the Italian fare awaiting them. As you take in the comforting smells of garlic and spices, you will immediately notice how at home you feel within Ca Del Sole’s walls. The restaurant has managed to perfectly blend hospitality with classic elegance in order to create an experience that is nothing short of divine.
Choose from an extensive selection of wine like the '03 Dolcetto D'Alba or the '04 Schulthauser Pinot Bianco as the aromas from the kitchen begin to tantalize your senses. The ristorante's staff is attentive and extremely professional, and Manager Angelo D. Calderan mingles throughout the dining room quietly conveying that he understands the importance of catering to the needs of each guest. Guests feel at home as the staff offers up friendly advice on how to choose from a menu of seemingly endless choices.
Fresh bread and olive spread are served immediately, but you may want to also start with an antipasto of fresh Quail ($10.25) delicately served on a plate of soft polenta, or perhaps you would be interested in trying the Carpaccio ($8.95) - thin slices of raw, naturally grown, beef filet served beautifully on a bed of shaved Parmesan, capers and extra virgin olive oil. Don't leave without trying the homemade Pâte di Anatra ($9.75) served with toasted bread, mache, and quince compote. You will be dreaming of the dish long after you’ve left.
For your main course, the Speciali come highly recommended. The Linguine Vongole ($12.95) is exquisite - Linguine tossed with Manila clams, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes and olive oil, or for something a bit different try the Wild Boar ($17.75) cooked in red wine, fresh vegetables and herbs and served over soft polenta. Executive Chef Soerke Peters' dishes are savory, succulent and divinely plated with the utmost attention to detail. The herbs are freshly chosen and many of the dishes are made from scratch like the Agnolotti ($13.95) - handmade tortellini filled with braised pork, chicken, veal, and fresh herbs. For dessert, indulge in the Banana Mouse ($6.25) or the rich, warm Chocolate Almond Cake.
From the first slice of Bread and Olive spread or the first sip of sparkling water to the last taste of the Vanilla Crème Sauce that lines many of the dessert dishes, Ca Del Sole will leave you mesmerized by the Italian experience. The menu changes on a regular basis, but the surprises awaiting you on each unique menu are sure to please all of your senses. It will be no surprise if you don't want the evening in this fine Italian Ristorante to end, so sip contently on a warm cup of Cappuccino and let the memories linger as the sun sets on Ca Del Sole.


Ca Del Sole is located at 4100 Cahuenga Blvd in Toluca Lake. For more information visit their website at www.cadelsole.com or call 818 985 4669 to make a reservation.

Hollywood Hair

On Tuesday I had such a "Hollywood" day. First I had my hair done, on our show, by Dean - the guy that does Ryan Seacrests hair and all the others on American Idol (except for Paula). Then in the evening I flew with Josh, a freelance producer I've been working with, in a private plane to Santa Barbara for dinner. We had our dinner meeting and then flew home to LA. The total in-air flight was only about 15 minutes and I even got to fly for a little bit.