About Me

I'm a professional writer and VP of Digital at Churm Media. I'm also a mom of two obviously exceptional children, avid Ducks hockey fan and Disney enthusiast.

********************************************************
50 random things about me.

1. I have a list published on McSweeney's: Easy Listening Songs from the '70s rewritten by the artists after they had kids.

2. I have an irrational, but I think not completely unfounded, fear of vans. White unmarked vans are particularly worrisome, and vans with any kind of primer paint come in second.

3. Every time I watch the 2007 Anaheim Ducks win the Stanley Cup I cry like most girls cry at the end of the movie "Beaches."

4. I'm also a fan of Roller Derby and wrote this feature for the Orange County Register about The OC Rollergirls.

5. I am a self-described tragic and disgraceful cook. My friends and family have decided to embrace this truth as cute and quirky.

6.I lived in San Francisco for 10 years, most of the time in The Castro District. When I left, I felt I had to break up with The City. It's still painful for me to go back for some reason. Conclusion: Loving a city can be very much like loving a person, but without ever having to worry about them Facebooking you.

7. Every new year I adopt a new mantra or goal for myself. This year it's "Sparkle On!"

8. I prefer lemony to chocolaty.

9. I write a monthly column in OC Metro Magazine.

10. I was once fired from a job as a waitress at a VERY fancy restaurant in San Francisco because I couldn't open a bottle of wine at the table--I'd choke. The restaurant called and left a message. My roommate got the message, copied it on to a post-it and put it on my door. It read something along the lines of "(Blank) called. You're fired. You must be an awful waitress. (Blank) didn't even say sorry and he was kind of laughing." The WORST part was that I was dating (Blank) at the time. That's how bad I was at opening that stupid bottle of wine. I still have a mini-anxiety attack every time I see a corkscrew.

11. I have my own reserve of Snail Jokes that I can tell whenever asked--which honestly, I'm NEVER asked.

12. I would rather eat a bowl of bees then a bowl of peas.

13. I can't stop myself from smiling when I'm in an uncomfortable or overly serious situation. Which has lead to some pretty heated conversations which usually include phrases like "is this all a big joke to you?" or with accusations of "giving mixed messages."

14. I answer rhetorical questions asked by the TV, radio or spam. I can't help it..."Is your garage door embarrassing you and your family?" YES! Or my favorite, "Is your hair trying to tell you something?"

15. I sit on the board of directors of the OC Press Club.

16. Special tricks: I am an excellent parallel parker and I have an uncanny knack of guessing what time it is anytime of the day or night.

17. I have a board dedicated entirely to bunnies on Pinterest --My Bunny Issues.

18. Giving me Creme Brulee blow torches, expensive bottles of Saffron threads, and bunt pans for my birthday was funny the first couple of times but now is just cruel. (See #5 again)

19. I love Lip Smakers, roller skating, Love's Baby Soft and still listen, with no irony at all, to the Xanadu soundtrack.

20. Someday I hope to be the person my mom thinks I am.

21. I am deeply devoted to Billie Holiday.

22. I'm an Orange County native.

23. I attended charm school at Montgomery Wards in Huntington Beach, Ca when I was a young girl. I can still walk, sit down and cross my legs with a book perched on my head. Read about my charm school days here.

24. I worked at Ruby's for three years and opened three locations with them. I loved being a Ruby's waitress because it incorporated three of my favorite things: 1) being bossy 2) red lipstick, and 3) chatting with strangers.

25. Matthew Macfadyen over Colin Firth.

26. The first boyfriend I ever had in fifth-grade, Joey Beckett, broke up with me because he said I loved my cats more than him. I can still see him talking to me through the screen of my parent's front door.

27. I broke up with my 11th-grade boyfriend once I saw him in his Farrell's uniform.

28. I'm addicted to Instagram.

29. My two best friends are identical twins. One of the best things about having twins as your BFFs is I can almost always get one of them on the phone when I need to chat.

30. Over 20 years ago I backpacked with my two girlfriends through Europe. I strongly believe every teenager should do the same.

31. I love Mary Tyler Moore. She was my idol growing up.

32. I'm a quitter, but I never give up. There's a difference. If you're like me, you know what I'm talking about.

33. Obsessed with pencil skirts.

34. I write a blog about Disneyland, Disneyland Locals.

35. I can not, for the life of me, say the word amicable.

36. My favorite moment in the day is when I see my kids for the first time in the morning. I still can't believe how blessed I am to have them.

37. I haven't seen a scary movie since "The Shining" in 6th-grade.

38. Corey Perry is my favorite hockey player and I wrote this story about meeting him "Corey Perry fights robots."

39. My son's middle name is Currier, after my step dad. My daughter is named after two of the three Bronte sisters.

40. I have a theory that biscotti is a mafia-backed baked good because I haven't ever met anyone who likes them, yet they are everywhere.

41. I have read Wuthering Heights AT LEAST 10 times.

42. I vacillate between thinking I'm the most brilliant person in the world, to thinking I'm the biggest phony ever. In the moment of each thought, I can't convince myself I'm anything other than what I think I am, then I can't believe I ever thought that of myself.

43. I have been using a Mac for three and 1/2 years and won't ever go back.

44. I am a disgraceful speller.

45. I can do...hold on...15 push ups.

46. Small Elizabethan shoes, red velvet and professional photographs of pregnant women cradling their naked bellies creep me out...oh, and that Twilight Zone with William Shatner when he sees the monster on the wing of the plane.

47. I vehemently believe five is the funniest number and every Friday I do a "Friday Five" on my blog. My favorite is Five ways to know you are late for your own funeral.

48. When I was nine-years-old my brothers hung my Holly Hobbie doll in a noose from the ceiling light in my room. I let out a scream of pure terror when I saw it. I can still see her hanging there. Besides that, they were pretty kind to me.

49. I am listening to Chet Baker right now.

50. I can be a little self-involved sometimes.