BLOG BELLA

Book Review for Death of a Gas Guzzler

Bel — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:41:03 +0000

A Funeral, A Life

Bel — Thu, 19 May 2011 13:39:39 +0000

Me & Tom Bridegroom on his birthday

I kiss my fiance when I come home. I fall asleep with him in my arms. I hold his hand when we go hiking. If he was taken from me it would hurt. If he was taken from me and I wasn’t allowed to attend his funeral because his parents didn’t approve of our relationship that would hurt even more. That’s what happened a day ago to my friend Shane who was not allowed to attend the funeral of the man he’d been with for six years who’d died suddenly at the age of 29. His partner, Tom Bridegroom, was laid to rest in Knox, Indiana, where Tom’s father banned Shane from the services. Mind you, Tom’s father is allegedly Christian and took great issue with his son being gay. I grew up allegedly Christian as well, with my bearded dad who loudly voiced his own anti-gay sentiment while also preaching Jesus’ love.

Which made me wonder, how many times in the Bible does Jesus say to mistreat gay people? None, of course. Jesus, who Christians believe to be God’s own son in human form, himself hung out with people considered the lowest form of sinners such as prostitutes and tax collectors, to show love, humility and mercy. Which inspires me to be compassionate towards Tom’s dad, who in his own state of grieving for his lost son, ostracized the man his son loved most in the world, while also completely ignoring one of the main two things Jesus wanted to get across.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22.37-40 ESV)

My heart hurts for Shane. At the same time, I know the love he and Tom had will live on. The love Tom gave everyone will live on. When I was the receptionist at ACME, it was Tom with his warmth and charisma who received the most phone calls. Just being in the same room with him made me happier. “Bel, how are you?” Tom would say to me, and flash his big, gorgeous smile. I loved his laugh and have my suspicions that he came into this world to inspire, laugh and love. His time to move on came May 7^th, 2011, and it has changed the lives of the hundreds of people who knew and loved him.

* Tom’s LA memorial is tentatively scheduled for 6/25/2011.

Love or Money

Bel — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:05:47 +0000

I sometimes feel jealous of other people my age who have created their own successful companies. Just a pang of jealousy. Then I envision in my mind an alternate reality where I did start my own company. I had lots of happy clients and employees who worked long hours. I was financially successful. Then I realize that unfortunately, that’s a reality that I don’t give a rat’s ass about. To keep producing the same thing over and over again. For what? For money? That’s the problem. I don’t care enough about money. That’s when I have the realization I don’t belong in society since I care about money only insomuch as I have a warm meal on my plate, or can sit on the beach watching the sun set, or spend long hours reading books or catching up on any and all subjects that catch my fancy on the internet. Is this why I’m not as financially successful at this point in my life as I have the potential to be? I do care about people. Maybe too much in fact. I love looking into someone’s eyes and hearing their story, laughing at their jokes, comforting them through their tears. Is there money in this? Certainly. But right now I’m writing a book. And this blog is distracting me from that…

How to Create a 5-Star Dinner for Your Valentine

Bel — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:41:08 +0000

Los Angeles’ Sustainable Agriculture Examiner writer Stan Tran, cooked me a lovely early Valentine’s dinner in the middle of the afternoon. It consisted of chicken wrapped in prosciutto, wine reduction sauce, colorful veggies, a fresh salad and a surprise desert. Watch the video to learn how to cook this meal for your for your very own Valentine (I make a cameo appearance circa 6:48). Here is the ingredient list.

bottle of white wine

1/2 onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 rosemary sprigs

vegetables for 2 (brocolini, 2 carrots), 1/2 lb greens, 1/2 cucumber

about 1 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, tablespoon honey

4 organic skinless boneless chicken thighs, 12 organic chicken wings, can of chicken broth

4 slices of prosciutto, 2 slices of bacon

Surprise dessert ingredients (watch video)

Blog Bella Renovations

Bel — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 08:12:52 +0000

Click on “ABOUT BEL” above and see my updates! I’m in the process of updating my blog, giving it some major renovations in style and feel. This is a one person operation so please bear with me as I go into photoshop to create appropriate graphics, figure out how to change the titles and the like… thank you and Happy New Year friends!

Honey Bunny

Bel — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 22:12:57 +0000

So, I’m in love with a rabbit. His name is Nakamura. Stan and I picked him up from the Los Angeles animal shelter we volunteer at. The moment I saw him I felt he was going to be my bunny. But I didn’t want to make a rash decision since getting a rabbit can be a decade-long commitment (or more), and rabbits are high maintenance pets that need room to roam and lots to chew on. So I instituted a self imposed waiting period in my mind of over a month. It wasn’t at all easy and it hurt me each time I left the shelter without him but now he’s home with Stan and I, and he’s had a positive influence on us, encouraging us to eat more greens.

P.S. HAPPY PAWLIDAYS is TOMORROW (Saturday) all over Los Angeles if you’d like to adopt your own furry friend.

Happy Pawlidays

Bel — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:33:31 +0000

Bunny rabbits* make my heart patter. They’re cute and fluffy yet have complex minds as illustrated by their strict social structure, subtle communication, and strong emotional bonds. I feel like before living in Los Angeles I didn’t quite appreciate that about animals. Maybe Los Angeles has helped me grow up. Volunteering at the LA rabbit shelter with Lisa who’s in her 70’s yet quick as a whip and full of energy, answering any question I have in the most comprehensive way possible, has helped too. She treats every animal as if it’s a being that deserves to feel good. I feel good myself by petting bunnies fluffy white, brown, black, or grey softness, watching them hop around with their big ears flopping up and down.

“Happy Pawlidays” is a pet adoption event taking place Saturday December 18 at tons of locations throughout Los Angeles where you can adopt a pet of your own. You’ll be helping yourself in addition to a divine animal. 25 years of research has shown that pets help lower blood pressure, lessen anxiety and boost our immunity. Don’t forget they provide cuddling and more cuddling.

*Rabbits are high maintenance animals so please do your research before adopting (as with any animal).

The Los Angeles Hillbilly

Bel — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:34:20 +0000

Yesterday a hillbilly crashed into the car I was in with Stan. Stan and I were heading South on Overland at Venice, just about to turn into the parking lot containing the Famina, Yogurtland and Bally’s, when we came across the hillbilly reversing as fast as he could without looking back – typical hillbilly move. As compassionate as I strive to be, this man’s complete disregard for others by slamming into us with his car without even a glace back as he reversed, instantly lit my temper on fire. His first words when he got out of his car didn’t help either. “That was already there!” He said of the damage he’d caused to Stan’s paint and bumper. Right?! The hillbilly allegedly somehow magically and psychically knew without even looking back as he reversed that all the damage he’d just caused to Stan’s paint and bumper was “already there.” His lunatic delusions continued with the outright lie “I was honking my horn!”

Stan realized there was no reasoning with him and said “Let’s not argue, let’s just exchange insurance information.” The clever hillbilly retorted “So you’re admitting fault!” To which Stan replied. “No, all I said was let’s exchange insurance information.” The hillbilly blinked “So, you are admitting fault!” Yes, Stan was admitting it was his fault that he was hit by a lunatic hillbilly who felt the need to floor the gas pedal while reversing recklessly.

I let him have it. “How can you tell such an outright lie!?” It took him a second to come up with a comeback. “We should just forget all this. You don’t want to have to go to small claims court, do you?” He said. “OH, BUT I DO. I’m sure when the judge looks at your driving record versus Stan’s he’s going to rule against you!?” I said looking at his banged up car. “You’re judging me!” He said. He was right. I was judging him, and judging that if he was going to lie to my face, he was going to lie to the judge’s. “So you’re going to PERJURE yourself in court?!” I glared at him. The look in his intimidated eyes made it clear he had no idea what in God’s good name “perjure” meant. It was at that moment I felt sorry for him and this life he’s leading which probably isn’t a very happy one. Nonetheless, Stan deserves to have his car repaired.

Birthday BBQ

Bel — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:13:34 +0000

Saturday I celebrated my birthday at Los Angeles‘ Reynier Park. Yet another birthday. I was thinking “Shit! Am I getting too old to celebrate birthdays?!” This particular one especially since it involved water balloon games, passing an egg in a spoon and whacking a pinata till candies came pouring out.

“How old are you turning?” Paula’s boyfriend Toby asked. I made him guess. “Bel, that’s very immature. That‘s what a child would do.” My brother Richard had to let me know. I looked around to see everyone enjoying their turkey dogs, veggie burgers, hamburgers (even though I’d like cows to be consumed more infrequently), and the made-from-scratch refried bean and garbanzo bean dip I created that tasted like a scrumptious cross between hummus and bean dip.

Water balloon volleyball involved our team of girls on one side of the net holding a bed sheet taut to fling a water balloon over the net to the boys’ team who had to fling it back with a sheet of their own without breaking it or getting it out of bounds. This was a game that involved teamwork, uncontrollable laughing and screaming by the more sissy players when a water balloon came smashing/splashing over.

After our final game of water balloon volleyball I overheard Javier announce “I think I’ve found my calling,” which validated all my immature childlikeness which has its very own place in society.

”Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha

Horn Shark Eggs at Palos Verdes

Bel — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:04:33 +0000

Los Angeles’ Santa Monica Beach is the closest to me. Palos Verdes is about 25 miles South which is where Stan and I found the Horn Shark eggs. See for yourself.