California, Here I Come

I would love to write a long post now, but I'm at Starbucks to work in the A.C. on some deadlines for Aspire Design and Home.

That cooking gadget company I've been writing for? It's called Good Cook, and it's based in Rancho Cucamonga, California, 37 miles inland from L.A. I read somewhere that the company is the top manufacturer of cooking gadgets/supplies/equipment in the U.S.

Boxes of Good Cook products have been sent to my doorstep; when they arrive, Punchy acts as though we have won the lottery. She reports the delivery proudly to the neighbors. Because Alice is going to write about them, she says, throwing her shoulders back ever so slightly.

I have indeed written about everything from lobster crackers to utensil jars, paper towel holders to squeezable mustard and ketchup bottles.

But now, the two men I have been working with over the phone have arranged for me to fly out and meet them, and meet the team, and learn about the different brand voices and price points. I will also be trained to input copy directly into the website, as copywriter, to facilitate the process.

Temporary gray concealer. My stylist

sprays it on after blow-drying, lightly combs it in and then uses hairspray.

I've used it once on my own and then blow-dried.

I have been getting ready. I couldn't afford full hair color [$100 counting blowout, plus tips] as we are between checks; but my good Christina at Salon 212 did her blowout, and applied the color spray shown above, which works great. I had the shoemaker fix the worn-down heels on my nude patent Clarks pumps. I have a new [Tory] shirt lined up, and a beach cover-up to pack for after my meetings. I got a new pair of reading glasses with mock tortoise frames at CVS.

The company is flying me out and back and I will be their guest in a hotel tomorrow night. But by Friday afternoon, I'm planning to rent the most economical Enterprise car I can get and head toward L.A. I don't know where I'm staying yet on Friday, Sat. and Sun. nights, but I'm flying back home on Monday morning. I've reached out to 10 or more hotels to see about media guests [you know I will blog in detail, and also tweet with photos from @ASPIREMagazine]. But so far every hotel is full for the weekend; they say it's peak season.

A couple of places that are full are going to let me be a guest for dinner and/or a spa treatment, and I hope to enjoy that. I also hope to see Moey's daughter, Laura, who moved out to Los Angeles in February. She is an aspiring actress and singer, and lives in an apartment complex with three other young women plus her large dog.

But I won't really feel settled until I know where I will be laying my head on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights...and I hope it's not on the head rest of my rental car.

I better get to work! Flight at 8:34 a.m.

Please say a prayer that I can drive safely and find my way out there. California is so big, it seems like another country. I've been there several times, but not for years...and while I know Route 95 North to 195 to Route 6 to Cape Cod like the back of my hand, these roads...not so much. Wild, wild West?

Until tomorrow.....