Spanish Sonidos and Salsa Dancing

My friend April has the best taste in pretty much everything.  She has the coolest clothes, the prettiest makeup and knows tons about awesome music.  So, naturally, when she sent me some vintage salsa music that she had been grooving on lately, I downloaded it immediately.  As with pretty much everything April likes, it’s awesome.  This music is what summer sounds like, at least to me.

So what could be better than a warm Sunday night filled with salsa music, writing and wine?  How about dancing?  April popped by to visit and we wound up feeling the ritmo while the music was playing.  Well, she felt it.  I tried.

“No, Liz, you’re doing it wrong!” she corrected me as I waggled my hips.  “Watch me.  Back, together, forth, together…good, there you go!  Now hold your hands at waist level….”

I’m sure I looked fairly ridiculous, but that didn’t stop me.  In my mind, I was Selena and La India wrapped up in one package.  Now all I have to do is not trip over my own feet.

Looking silly also won’t stop me from salsa dancing again tonight.  One day, I’ll get it right.

Bonus treat: La Abril herself, salsa bombing all over Los Angeles

Double bonus treat: April’s blog: Las Cositas Bellas

First sentence….

The first cut is the deepest, and the first sentence has to pack a punch.

“Natalie Reignwater had spent the entire day looking for God.”

Draft 1.5

I’m a big fan of handwriting.  I can’t explain why.  Maybe it’s because I’m always on the computer for work and school.  Maybe it’s because I’m so used to the iPhone autocorrecting me that I’ve forgotten how to spell.  Maybe it’s because I just like to buy cute notebooks.

Whatever the reason, I’m glad I do it.  It gives me a chance to edit my story before anyone sees it.  I call my first typed draft “Draft 1.5” ’cause I’ve edited it but it’s still pretty rough.

I’ve realised that by the time I reach draft, oh, 10 or so it’s pretty good to go.

Saying Yes to the Dress….

An article I wrote for The Zeros Before the One.  How does one go about selecting the perfect wedding dress?  Hint: stop looking for perfection:

An Open Letter to Wedding Dress Designers and Bridal Stores

A new chapter, a new blog…

Greetings, readers, writers and lovers of words.  Welcome to my new and (hopefully) improved blog.  I decided to move over here from Blogger because a) It seems like you can do cooler things with WordPress and b) I started the Blogger blog (say that three times fast) several years ago when my writing and my life philosophy were a little different.

Oh, don’t worry, there’s still plenty of humor to be found.  It’s just…darker in nature.  I still love shoes, but I’ve definitely turned into a thrifty shopper (a recession will do that to you).  I still love movies, but I’ve definitely seen the darker side of Hollywood since moving to LA and working in “The Biz.”

So there you have it.  New outlook, new stories, new blog.

New notebook.

Same nerdiness.