I am Camplor

Happy New year

2010-01-02T20:42:00.000-08:00

So, It's been a while. Update. We got a dog.

His name is Forsberg. He likes sand, Frisbee, and peanut butter.

Wanderlust

2009-07-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

This month marked the one year anniversary of our residence in the current apartment. To celebrate, T and I have officially begun the search for new apartments. This move will be my fifth in the last three and a half years (Trevor's fifth as well). We have a lot of perfectly valid reasons to leave our current place... but what is wrong with us?

Seriously... any ideas?

Breakfast.

2009-07-22T10:50:00.001-07:00

Yummmmmmmmm.

On living in Los Angeles

2009-07-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

T and I have lived in Los Angeles for a year now, and have both been asking ourselves if this is where we want to be long term. Following is my formal analysis of our Los Angeles experience.

CULTURE:
pro; LA has options. There are a variety of concerts, museum exhibits, and old movie screenings available weekly. Since most of the show business population has immigrated here to from the Midwest and East, people tend to be open to meeting new friends. Everyone has spent a year or two as a broke and lonely production assistant, so they tend to be nice to the chick who's paying her dues.

con; Since most people have moved from elsewhere, the city lacks a sense of ownership or a unified identity. Everyone is here to fulfill their personal goals, so there is not a lot of community involvement or even awareness. While on an interpersonal level people are awesome, they also seem to have a sense of anonymity and entitlement which allow them to drive like jerks and not clean up their dog's poop.

CAREER:
pro; This is where T and I have been extremely lucky and thus pretty successful. Although starting at the bottom rung of any career ladder sucks, it's been well worth it to have the chance to work with a great team in a dynamic environment. And it's fun to see a project you've contributed to on TV.

con; If we decided to do leave TV, the economy sucks. Sucks. Sucks.

STATE OF CALIFORNIA
pro; The ocean is nice. The weather is nice. We see celebrities at the gym.

con; After more than a year of legislative gridlock, California has no state budget, and no funds available for any hypothetical budget. As a temporary solution, the state is issuing IOU checks as payment. Supposedly, the IOUs will be fully paid plus interest come October, but Banks have already started to refuse the IOUs. This not only makes it difficult for people to get the money they've earned (money which is critical in keeping the already sluggish economy moving), but the denials continue California's already bruised credit rating will crash. With no credit, everything stops. Good times.

QUALITY OF LIFE
pro; We've got restaurants, we've got ocean, we've got shopping, we've got great produce markets, we've got sunshine, we've got great people.

con; We've got traffic. We've got crowds. These alone negate many of the pros listed under Quality of Life and Culture.

CONCLUSION: Although life here isn't perfect, I don't think we'll be moving any time soon. We like the work, and having so many fun things to do and eat available within walking distance is pretty nice. However, the density of the population is tiring, and I'm not looking forward to watching the state infrastructure fall apart. We'll see what how things stand in four years.

In the meantime....come visit. It's pretty nice.

Europe, 2009

2009-07-19T11:22:00.001-07:00

Trevor and I spent the first two weeks of June running around Europe with my brothers.

Did Not Suck.

Highlights....

Cebere, a little southern French town. We were all recovering from serious jet lag and this was a perfect little relaxing stop.

Paris. Yeah, it really looks like that.

Bruges. We were delighted at how much Belgium surpassed our expectations.

Heidelberg. I WILL be going tack to Germany.

Bern. Clean, green, fantastic.

Rome was actually my least favorite stop. I took this picture the only time I was not completely surrounded by other tourists.

Florence. Not Suck.

Barcelona. I really wish we had more time here, it was BEAUTIFUL.

Weiner Babies.

2009-05-27T10:19:00.001-07:00

One of our friends has been out of town for the last few weekends, so T and I have been doing some Doggie Sitting.
Note the camouflage pattern in their fur...these dogs are awesome.

This little brown ball of dog is Manhatten. She's a snuggle baby. Within seconds of each time Trevor or I sat down, we had a dog or two in our laps.

This is Indiana. She really wanted to play the Wii. She sat like this, whining for about an hour.

Here is Trevor distracting Indiana from the Wii. Trevor was such a good weekend Daddy.

Stop Everything.

2008-12-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

Read this book

Before you see this movie.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not saying don't see the movie. I have really high hopes for the film. But just in case it sucks (even just a little bit) read the book first.

You have two weeks....................................................................GO

Brave New World.

2008-12-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

I am officially addicted to goodreads.com.

I encourage you all to join and add me. As of late I've been a bit anti-social and a lot pro-book. And this website has been my enabler.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is most similar to other dystopian fiction I've read in it's celebration of the value of individualism. Where it differs is in the emphasis it places on the denial of pleasure. Huxley seems to think that feeling good makes you stupid and meaning and value in life are only found through suffering.

While I found the book very interesting and engaging, occasionally when Huxley wanted to make sure you "got it" the characters would go off on these long expositional conversations, explaining the philosophy behind their actions to each other (and conveniently to me). Hux. I get it. You want me to get it. And while I appreciate that, I don't need it spelled out five times.

Glad I read it, not a favorite.

View all my reviews.

Today I learned...

2008-11-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

...that syphillis was originally a disease spread amongst sheep. Until farmers started getting lonely.

I wish I were joking.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Yay Boyfriend.

2008-11-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

Trevor found these sweeties. And I agreed to wear them.
I love.

Yay Tanking Economy.

2008-11-13T13:27:00.000-08:00

Spoke too soon.

2008-11-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

So fall is here for real. It gets dark at five, the temperature hangs in the sixties, and I'm no longer wearing shorts. While I'm delighted at the change and am loving the season, my body is again choosing to revolt and is slipping into it's usual mild fall depression. Yay solstice.

This is my first fall on meds. It's peculiar to feel my body behaving as if it's depressed, lethargic, prone to anxiety and panic, unwilling to sleep, while my mind stays relatively level. My chest will swell and ache as if I am about to cry, but I feel nothing.

Brain chemistry is a bitch.

The City of Angels, the Cake of the Same

2008-11-10T18:02:00.000-08:00

Egg whites

Sugar

Flour

Vanilla

Coffee

Cinnamon

Do not eat before it's baked.

It's called samonilla.

It kills babies and old people.

Cool it upside down

Without patience

It will deflate

Like a sad balloon.

Cool.

Cut.

Put it on a plate.

add Whipped Cream.

add Caramel

add Chocolate

add Coconut

add whatevs.

Eat.

Be happy.

Try it.

Voting Day

2008-11-04T17:33:00.000-08:00

I took these at six thirty in the morning.

Please note...there are a lot of young people.

Way to be awesome youth vote. Way to be awesome.

While waiting in line I made friends with a producer for the NPR program "Market place," a girl from England with a totally sexy accent, and a whole lot of people who were just really cool. Shout out to Bert, the poll worker who helped me navigate the crowded polling place.

While I'm waiting for the polls to come in, I just want to say to my mentor and friend Jenn, my heart goes out to you and your wife tonight.

U-S-A!
U-S-A!
U-S-A!

Michelle the Domestic Kicks Sunday Afternoon in the BOO-TAY

2008-10-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles is Bizarre. October is almost over and I'm still waiting for fall to come. Yesterday I decided despite the thermometer the wait was over. I turned up the air conditioning, crawled under a blanket, and spent all Sunday reading and baking goodies.

Welcome fall... It's about time.

Inspired by Food Network's 'Good Eats' and armed with a candy thermometer, I decided to try something I new...Home-Made Marshmallows. It turned out to be much simpler than I expected it to be, and if you're comfortable with basic sugar cooking techniques, I really recommend giving it a try. They are MUCH more flavorful and creamier in texture than Jet Puffed.

The basic idea is to add sugar cooked to soft-ball stage (similar to how you'd prepare sugar for home- made caramel) to prepared gelatin, then whip all the air you can into it.
The gelatin is able to capture the air, and the sugar holds the bubbles as it cools to room temperature, allowing them to stay puffy and soft without refrigeration. Behold the power of chemistry.

Once the cream is thick and cool (11-14 minutes on a stand mixer, or seven minutes using an egg beater) add vanilla or whatever flavor you like and beat for one more minute (I went with vanilla and a little artificial rum flavoring.)
Spread it into a pan and let it set for at least four hours. I could hardly wait for it to set...it smells so good, and the soft marshmallow cream is DELICIOUS.
Once it's cool, slice the pieces into squares and dust them with powdered sugar. Good eats recommends you use the completed marshmallows in rice-krispy treats or in hot cocoa, but since the flavor and texture turned out so nice, I decided to dip them in dark chocolate and chopped walnuts for some home-made marshmallow candy. The end result did not suck...

Next time I think I'll use white chocolate pecans and coconut. YUM!

While waiting for the marshmallows to set, I decided to keep the kitchen smelling good. I found this Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread recipe via tastespotting.com. The alcohol bakes out, but it leaves behind a rich warm aroma that gives the banana flavor a bit of a punch. The bourbon is optional, and the recipe works without it, but I really recommend giving it a shot...of whiskey.

Make sure you have 2 nice and brown bananas, I only had one, and had to make 2/3 of a batch, which is why my bread looks so FLAT. You can replace the cranberries with any other dried fruit, nut, flavor of chocolate chip, or leave out the add-ins and let the banana speak for itself.

Michelle is NOT sorry.

2008-10-18T01:42:00.001-07:00

Hi all

I would apologize for not posting in a long time, but I'm not sorry in the least. I've been busy, and my time has been filled with demanding, interesting, and fulfilling things. I've been working hard, thinking thoroughly and taking it in.

I am back.

Bluetooth or Crackhead?

2008-08-18T11:58:00.000-07:00

Trevor and I have a new favorite game.

When walking/driving around West Los Angeles and Santa Monica, you tend to see quite a few people talking to themselves. Most of these people fall into one of two categories-they are either talking to a friend/business associate on a Bluetooth, or talking to god/dead ancestors on crack. The object of our new favorite game, "Bluetooth or Crackhead" is to determine which of the two categories a given passer by falls under. Now, occasionally a subject may be yelling at a non-crack generated car or singing along with an I pod, and these wild cards can throw you for a loop, but in most instances the game is simple, engaging, and ALWAYS surprising.

God hates me.

2008-08-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

Or at least my car. I'd break it down and explain my second flat tire in 12 hours (didn't think it was possible.) but it's just too painful.

Me Gutsta Cinema

2008-08-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

I'm falling in heart with movies.

This weekend, T took me to see a screening of out takes from Charles Laughten's Night of the Hunter. I wouldn't have guessed that watching two and a half hours of clips would be so fascinating. Watching the actors interact with Laughten's direction was really interesting, and I was really able to appreciate the craft of bringing out subtlety in film performance.

Seeing old movies on the big screen is such a thrilling and transporting experience. I relate to them as they are on film, caught at their prime, mid to late twenties. I am aware that they are now in their eighties, or dead, and that they've experienced years between now and the moment that I'm observing on screen. Freaks me out man.

And below, a picture from the Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth night. Or it's alternate title; Newsies 2; the revenge.

Michelle Sells Her Soul to Television.

2008-08-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER- I used the above title because it's too great NOT to use. I do not believe it to be true.

In fact, after a lot (a lot) of thinking, I've decided that right now, and possibly long term, social work doesn't excite me like it used to. The jobs I've found here are exciting in theory, but when I think of actually committing several years of my life to any of them, I feel preemptive burn out. I see inevitable frustration. I don't want to look back in five years, and realize I've been working with people not because I want to, but because it was the next most obvious thing for me to do.

I've been offered a permanent position at Extreme Makeover Home Addition, and I'm taking it. As of right now, my duties include preparing the post-production segment of the credits, scanning photos, handling stock footage requests and returns, delivering tapes to ABC, and organizing/stocking the ample pantry. I will get the chance to learn a lot from some pretty awesome people. Perks include, standard benefits, carpooling with my husband, and permission to keep my nose ring. Yay TV!

If They Don't Win It's NOT REALLY a Shame.... I still ate a ton of popcorn.

2008-07-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

T and I went to a Dodgers game last night. While I'm not a huge Dodgers fan, live pro baseball is never a disappointment.

Our seats were pretty fantastic. We were in the "Left Field Pavilion" Which is code for "LOUDER THAN HUD." Some guys a few benches from us were escorted from the park after booing a Giant's fan with a little too much enthusiasm. There was this guy painted all blue with large nipple rings who, rather than watching the game, spent the entire game as self-designated cheerleader/mascot, and another guy in our section brought at least ten beach balls, which he'd distribute whenever the Giants were at bat.

Here's T downing a world-famous Dodger Dog. Yes, it is better than a normal hot dog, although I suspect it has more to do with the fact you're eating it on a cool night outside in Los Angeles, which is not a bad place to be.

And me, working on a fairly ginormous bag of buttery overly salty popcorn. Yum nutrition.

And our co-workers/baseball Chum Bums, Derrick and Josh. Cheering for the Giants. In the cheap seats in Los Angeles. Trying to get us all beat up. Or shot.

To Therapy or Not to Therapy?

2008-07-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

Dear previous jobs...

You've spoiled me rotten.

As I've been looking into different job opportunities, I'm kind of deciding the whole social work/psychology career path is a bum deal. There aren't many options for someone, such as myself, with a degree and three years related experience to make a decent living. (at least decent by Los Angeles standards. Rent hurts.) There are TONS of amazing entry-level opportunities for interesting non-profits.

Problem 1-working through College at La Europa, I had the opportunity to gain a lot of experience that a lot of people aren't lucky enough to have till after they graduate. The jobs I'm looking at that don't require a Master's degree look boring. And I don't want to get my master's, not yet, maybe not ever.

Problem 2- non-profit typically translates into not a lot of cash, and working without a lot of resources.

Poop. Am I a bad person for no longer wanting to make less in exchange for the joy of the job? Have I topped out too soon? Am I a brat, or is this legitimate thinking here?

5.8...or 5.6... or 5.4... 5.3?

2008-07-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

First day of work today.

Oh, yeah. And there was kind of an Earthquake.

So, T and I are in the same office, and T is back in the bookshelves putting some stuff away, when all of the sudden everything starts moving. And not like shaking, long rolling movement. While I've been in similar earthquakes before (my elementary school had quarterly fire and earthquake drills), I've never been in one this long in duration, we moved for a good twenty seconds. (news said thirty, but I think that may have been a stretch.) The thought glazes my mind- "the Teachers said to get under the door-jam," but I opted against it, since watching everything on the walls sway was kind of fun.

After it ended, every one in the office was pretty excited. The large big-screen in the common area was turned to news. "It was a 5.8! Nothing has happened! BREAKING NEWS! It was a 5.6! A pipe broke! BREAKING NEWS! It was a 5.4! Some book shelves fell down!" Last I saw it was a 5.3, and BREAKING NEWS local firemen can be seen mopping up puddles at Maceys.

Oddly enough, of everyone in the office, T and I, the newest California residents, seemed the least concerned by the earthquake. T was primarily relieved that all his filing shelves hadn't been disorganized, while I was just amused by the thought of thirty-two first graders crowding under the one door-jam.

If nothing else, it's been fun to work here because the people here are fantastic. As T puts it there are smilers who want to work in movies and television so they can smile and say "Hey! I work in movies and television!" Then, there are the people who actually do the production work. And they are the geeks, in the BEST possible way. And these are the people I've been hanging out with today. Yay temp job.

CAMPLOR: Librarian, Baker, Do-er of Social Work...Maker of Television?

2008-07-28T22:59:00.001-07:00

In eleven hours, I will officially be an employee of the Television Industry.

Yay California.

In order to keep me busy and to bring in a little extra cashola, T arranged for me to work temporarily as a production assistant for Extreme Makeover Home Edition. From what he's told me, I'll pretty much be there in case somebody needs an errand run. Like putting things into storage, or making copies, or picking up diet coke.

Mmmm. Delicious ice-cold diet Coke.

I'm excited to have a chance to work in a completely new environment, even if it's just for a week or two.

What I most look forward to, is the chance to hang out with the parking lot guys, Juan, Carlos, and the third guy. I think guy number three might be named Tito, but I can't be sure, as I was distracted during introductions by his large forearm tatoo: LIVING TO DIE. I met these guys when I had to drop something off to Trevor at work.

Michelle : I'm just dropping something off to my husband. Trevor Campbell.

Tito : Tall guy, brown hair, drives the blue Subaru?

Michelle : Thats him.

Tito : Juan! Carlos! This is the wife of Peppino!

Michelle : Peppino?

Tito : Peppino. We call him Cucumber.

Michelle : Cucumber?

Juan : Yeah, Carlos says he looks like a cucumber.

Michelle : Oh, like Larry from Veggie Tales?

Juan/Carlos/Tito : YEAH!!! Peppino!

By the time I had completed my errand, we were all great friends. I am definitely bringing them waffle brownies.

Shaking Hands

2008-07-25T23:40:00.001-07:00

Alright. I just realized I posted an entire blog about donuts. And while the donuts do deserve their due recognition...I live in a different universe than I did two weeks ago. Necessitates documentation.

Tonight I took an evening jog. A block from my house I passed a guy pushing his cart o' stuff up the hill. Five blocks further, I passed a house hosting a dinner party with four men in red vests managing the valet parking on their front curb.

Earlier this week in a job interview for a position with an adolescent treatment center, while discussing the various strengths and weaknesses I could bring to the organization, my potential future supervisor leveled with me. "I will be honest Michelle, you're a little white girl. And these girls are going to want to push you to see what you're made of. Are you up for it?"

Today as we were unpacking, we were passed by a woman out walking a baby in a stroller. From her age, and heavy Eastern-European accent, I deduced that she was a nanny. I said good morning, and she came over and started to talk. After a few minutes of chit chat, I offered my hand and introduced myself. Before taking my hand, she stopped me. "I sorry. I should tell. I'm a Jew. Is still ok with you?"

Intellectually, all of these things have been part of the world forever. It's so bizarre to actually experience it: to see the Bentley's driving four blocks from the Rabbits; to be in a situation where my ethnicity means I am deviate from expectation; to live in a world where people feel the need to apologize for their heritage, the need to disclose it up-front in order to be fair, or to be safe...

Bizarre-o. And I've got so many other stories from the last two weeks. This is the new normal. I'm intrigued.

Holy wow.

2008-07-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

So. In the last week or so, so much has been going on, I really don't know where to start. So I'll start with the most important thing of all...

The Donuts.

So far, T and I have successfully located 3 makers and distributors of donuts in West Los Angeles that effectively kick the hud out of anything I've had in Boise OR Salt Lake. The only comparable I've ever had is Voo-Doo Donuts in Portland Oregon (those of you in Boise, it's totally worth the drive. Those of you in Salt Lake...STILL totally worth the drive. And the Gas money.)

The best of the best thus far, is undoubtedly Stan's Donuts in Westwood, right by UCLA. Their Buttermilk Crullers are light fluffy, and cake-like, their apple fritters are moist and juicy without being overly oily. They manage to integrate the bright flavor of the apple with the low near-bitterness of caramelized granulated sugar, it's subtly spiced, and not over glazed...in short it's the single-most perfect fritter I've ever had the joy of putting in my face. They also get bonus points for creativity...the banana-peanut butter stuffed is pretty amazing. (yes, stuffed with real peanut butter and fresh slices of banana...holy wow.)

Michelle Takes on Los Angeles: Infrastructural Web of Horror Wins.

2008-07-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attempted to purchase a parking permit. And now I understand why there are so many available jobs as 'assistants' in L.A. NOBODY wants to deal with the hoops you need to jump through to finish the most simple of 'to do's.'

Here is the break down of my first Los Angeles errand.

Went to Parking Administration down town to purchase pass. Was told I needed to register my car in California.
Went to Home Depot. Got keys made, got directions in broken English to a phone book, where i found the location of the...
Went to Hollywood DMV. Was told I needed to get a smog check.
Went to Atlantic Auto. Was told my car is smog friendly. Or unfriendly, depending on how you look at it.
Went to Hollywood DMV. Spent an hour trying to get my VIN checked and get through the line.
Went to Parking Administration down town to purchase pass. Was told I couldn't get one because only Trevor's name was on the electric bill.

For all the back and forth of everything it really wasn't a bad way to spend my first day in Los Angeles. For one thing, any culture shock I may have been anticipating has already hit. In my travels I went down Hollywood and Beverly, though Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Korea Town. I already feel more confidant in navagating the city. And any stresses I felt were easily calmed by the awesome people I've met so far, and by the amazing soundtrack coming out of the radio between stops. (everything from tracks off of 'In Rainbows' to 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'

Plus, my apartment is freaking sweet.

Our bedroom, sans real furniture. Even though this place is just a one bedroom and our last place had two, the rooms here are HUGE. The Ceilings are very tall and curve up at the top in the 20's style. And there is enough built in storage, we will have a place for everything. YAY.

Next to the Bedroom is this great little built in dressing room. It has a vanity, dresser, and closet all built in. We're thinking this will probably be more of an office space, little vanity desk=little desk for laptop.

Bathroom. Makes me smile.

Kitchen. Ditto.

And there are tons of fun little touches and fixtures throughout the unit that are really great and fun and are just heaping with character. Trevor wins spouse of the year for finding a place this great in a fantastic neighborhood.

Yay Monday.

2008-07-14T00:20:00.000-07:00

After 3 days of heavy lifting and house cleaning, and 1.5 days in the car, I have an announcement to make.

I am officially a Californian.

The last couple days have been a bit of a whirlwind for both T and I. The festivities kicked off with me packing and cleaning solo on Wednesday Thursday, and I have both bulging muscles and a bright sunburn to prove it. Friday night T flew back into Boise around 10:30 PM, we crashed, then moved and cleaned and drove down to Salt Lake late Saturday night. This morning we left Salt Lake, and pulled in to Los Angeles a few hours ago.

Lessons Learned:

DO NOT EVER drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles via Interstate 15 on a Sunday Afternoon/Evening. The produce check caused traffic to back up to a stand still for about two hours of drive in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE California. I think I can safely define Hell on Earth as Stuck in a Car in the Middle of a Two Hour Traffic Jam in the Middle of the Dessert. Not cool.
Driving is totally over rated. People complain about flying. People complain about crowded commuter trains. People complain about walking. People should shut the hud up and be happy they are not in a car. If I never sit in a car for more than five minutes at a time again in my life, I will know that God is good and answers the prayers of the sleepy and tired-rumped.
New apartment stuff=DEATH. Although it may be exciting to move into an apartment with new paint, and never lived on carpet and appliances, moving out of that apartment will kill you, a slow death, via cleaning fume inhalation. Your landlady KNOWS it was perfect when you moved in because she was the one painting the final coat and plugging in the new fridge...er go, no room for error in the move out clean. Boo. Boo I say.

Hours packing/moving boxes: 11
Hours deep cleaning: 8
Hours driving: 16