Wednesday, 5 Nov 2003

LOS ANGELES, Calif.

As expected, yesterday got a bit crazy right before Rebecca and I took off for L.A. The fun started as Collin and I tried to get a computer up and running in our office for him to work on. We have a great donated computer, but it’s missing a lot of the key things it needs to be fully functional. For example, it’s got Windows NT, but we have XP Office to load. The big adventure came when we had to find a bit of software to get us to the Internet so that we could download updates on things. We figured we could find one of those ubiquitous free-minute AOL CDs that there seem to be millions of, but, not surprisingly, when you’re actually looking for one, you can’t find one. We figured there’d be one on the street somewhere if we were lucky, but actually ended up having to shop around for one. We did finally find one in a rack just inside a grocery store, but still couldn’t get things up and running. Collin’s on another computer, though, so don’t fret — great things are still on their way.

Next it was fitting all of our stuff — well, Rebecca’s stuff — into her little car for our trip to the airport. We joked that we should have chartered a small jet for all of her stuff. To be fair to Rebecca, keep in mind that she is bringing outfits for models to wear and such, so it’s not like it’s all her own wardrobe. It was just kind of funny. She filled a huge snowboard bag and had two other bags that weighed a ton as well.

One quick trade secret that I learned, and it’s certainly applicable to everyone, especially world travelers with big bags and such: If you can, check your “possibly over 70 pounds” bag(s) at the curbside check-in — they’re much less likely to weigh your bags out there. Needless to say, Rebecca did just that and her heavy bag went right on down the conveyer with no sign of an extra fee.

The flight was over before we knew it because we were in creative mode planning for the Business for Social Responsibility reception event we’re helping to style and produce. We also had some great ideas for sass magazine, SSF’s soon-to-be-launched online publication. Get ready for something way cool on that one.

I was “shocked and awed” when we went to the rental-car desk and found that the hybrid we requested was actually there! I’ve tried so many times to get a hybrid and they never had them. So, yes, we will be traipsing around L.A. in a Honda Civic Hybrid. Rebecca is already in love with it. We initially named it Holly, in honor of one of Rebecca’s summer interns, because we decided the vehicle, a cute little Civic that is silver and chrome, is both sweet and flashy, just like Holly the intern. Holly will be working with us down here for the event, so I’m sure she’ll be pleased. The name has actually evolved a bit now to Holly Golightly, in reference to our favorite Audrey Hepburn film and the fact that she’s light on the environment. I hope to pick up a digital camera today so we can send along a pic of Holly Golightly for you all.

The rest of the night went pretty smoothly. Dropped Rebecca’s stuff off at the Century Plaza where she is staying and where the BSR event will be on the 13th. The Century Plaza is a very cool and stylish hotel, but it’s also a Westin which is part of Starwood Hotels which has made a pretty strong commitment to the environment. Then I was off to stay at my buddy Keith’s house in an area called Los Feliz while he’s working in Hawaii. Keith is a script and trailer writer who’s actually really into SSF, so this is part of his in-kind support for the organization. It’s certainly saving us a lot of money since we’ll be down here for 11 days.

On tap for today: Off to a store called Johnny B. Wood that specializes in vintage modern furnishings. We checked in there last time we were down — very cool stuff and perfect for our needs. We’re also going to check out a few other Venice Beach vintage and second-hand spots. Then off to the Paper Bag Princess in West Hollywood, which has all the vintage designer apparel. This is where the celebs go if they want to wear vintage to the Oscars and such. We’re hoping to find a few things for the models to wear at the BSR event, and, yes, I’m quite sure Rebecca’s going to be in heaven. They have a whole section of Pucci, one of her favorite designers. Last but not least, it’s off to the 13th annual Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards, a big Hollywood to-do with lots of celebs honoring environmental work in the TV and film industries. Warner Brothers and Aveda helped us out with tickets, so a big thank you goes out to them.

What will Rebecca and Sean wear to the EMAs, you ask? How will they incorporate both “sustainability” and “style” into their outfits? Well, you’re just going to have to come back tomorrow for the full report.