It's with many pounds added and dollars removed that we leave my once beloved Los Angeles. I'm ashamed to admit how many cupcakes we've purchased in the last week (14 - from Sprinkles and Crumbs in Beverly Hills and Saint Cupcake in Portland), bags (3 - including a Tumi man bag - and could you pass this up?), pairs of shoes (3 - thanks Nike), pants (4 - AG Jeans had a buy one, get one free sale!) and books (several - I'm finally the proud owner of the Andreas Gursky MOMA hardcover). I'm starting to sound like Kentucky's own Becky Bloomwood (which is embarrassing because I can't stand her).

I was feeling sad that I had no exciting star sightings to share with you but yesterday we were eating at the Mario Batali co-owned Pizzeria Mozza and who was dining just a table away but THE Judd Apatow and famed producer James L. Brooks. I seriously thought about stealing Apatow's fork after he left but a) I would have looked like a psycho and b) they cleared the table too fast. I will confess to some previous celebrity flatware thievery and perhaps someday I will post a photo of Barack Obama's fork (plastic, clear). I even have a pic of him eating with it. I promise I'm not a creepy silverware of the stars stalker. I don't even think I've ever approached anyone famous that I didn't know. What would I say that wouldn't sound dumb? Besides, I totally subscribe to the theory of never meet your heroes (because I have and... generally it's a bummer), and it's been my experience that all other celebrities are more or less just as human as the rest of us. They're just being human in rather more expensive clothes and cars (seriously - we saw ten Bentleys in one day).

Speaking of cars, we had the awesome opportunity to visit Cinema Vehicle Services and see noteworthy automobiles like Eleanor from Gone in 60 Seconds, Ali Larter's Cadillac convertible from Heroes, Ecto 1 and 2 from Ghostbusters, the limousine from Entourage, the never used Green Goblin Lincoln Continentals from Spider-Man 2 and a smashed Cobra from Iron Man. Famous cars are way more interesting than famous people!

Okay, time to attempt the packing portion of the trip. We had to buy an extra bag ($15 in Chinatown! What a deal!) just to get everything home but it was worth it. Or so I'll keep telling myself until my Amex explodes.

Consumption junction, what's your function?
Ms. P

Labels: celebrities, cupcakes, politics, travel