Hello! Hello! Luke Preston here, taking over Lane Hayes’s blog for a couple days before the release of her new book, The Right Words. The big day is this Friday, December 12… that’s 4 short days away. Woohoo! Pre-order here if you haven’t already, folks.
Now here’s the deal… I’ve been issued very strict instructions I’ve been ordered to follow without fail. The Right Words is about some recent events in the life and times of yours truly, but I promised Lane I wouldn’t give away even a smidge of detail. This won’t be easy. I’m a talker. I can’t help it. I’m hoping I can talk her into an exclusive excerpt by Wednesday. We’ll see. The gist behind my guest post appearances this week is that Lane wants her readers to have a chance to get a little background about the new series (and the characters). I guess everyone is all about the DC boys in her Better Than Stories. And while I admit they sound super hot, so are the guys in WeHo! 🙂 Ask around.
So about me… I’m an interior designer in my late twenties. I live with my boyfr— oh shit. Oops! Start over. I live at the beach in Orange County but I spend a good deal of time in LA too for work or to visit my best friend and Lord help me, my mother. The OC is about an hour south of LA, but let’s talk reality. If there is one thing about Southern California any newbie needs to know, it is the following: there is no easy way to get from one part of town to another. Sure, I’m a little dramatic at times but I’m also dead serious. Distance is not measured by miles in Los Angeles. It is measured by the day of the week, the time of travel, traffic delays and weather conditions. Never assume you can get from Santa Monica to West Hollywood in the twenty minutes Google suggests. If it’s Friday afternoon, add forty minutes. If it’s raining (Rare occurrence, folks. Not to worry.), add an hour. Oh yeah, and ask about which freeway to use. If it’s the 405, you’re screwed. If it’s the 5, even worse. Geez, I suppose the best bet is to drive after midnight…
It’s not easy to maneuver around So Cal, but when you’re in certain areas, like WeHo for example, you don’t really feel the need to go anywhere else. FYI, WeHo is the colloquial name of West Hollywood. It is a rainbow happy place with fabulous bars, world-class restaurants, shopping and lots of celebrity sightings. There are even two rainbow colored crosswalks between San Vicente Boulevard and Santa Monica. How freaking cool is that? My best friend, Brandon, owns a chic home boutique on Melrose Avenue. He’s an interior designer too, though he focuses on the retail aspect primarily. I help out in his store occasionally. The people watching alone is priceless. Toy Yorkies, man bags, Gucci loafers, women (men too, now that I think of it) who wear yoga pants all day. You get the picture.
I read a hysterical online article in Movoto featuring the top So Cal stereotypes I think are completely accurate. If you’re from here, or have visited, please feel free to weigh in.
- OK, So, SoCal Bros say Brah and Dude like they are totally going outta style.
- Southern Californians may be all Zen and laid back–but when they get behind the wheel, they’ll freakin’ kill you.
- They spend almost as much time talking about how to get somewhere as they do getting there (Amen.)
- Everyone in SoCal is two hours late. All. The. Time.
- And if it starts to even Sprinkle, you can just forget about it. (see above)
- The only thing Southern Californians are more obsessed with than being fit…is food.
Go figure. All true. But I truly believe the upside balances the quirky or borderline annoying parts. Upside number 1; it is a beautiful area with insanely gorgeous weather. Sometimes too nice. It’s common to curse another lovely day in December (while wishing for snow that will never fall in LA) and yearn for a chance to wear the somewhat trendy sweater you purchased before it goes frightfully out of style. And yes, you learn to laugh or at least roll your eyes at the phony baloney middle aged assholes who drive cars that costs more than most people’s houses while blaring a hip hop song they render completely uncool simply because they are the epitome of a dork. If the flip side is palm trees, ocean breezes and sunny skies, I think it’s best to find humor in the rest.
I did it! I managed not to talk about Mich— oh. Almost. Maybe I better stick to design tomorrow. Hmm. How about Christmas design tips and ideas? My other favorite topic is literature and poetry. You’ll see I’m nothing if not diverse. I’ll leave you with this thought from the supremely clever, Oscar Wilde.
“Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage to yield to”.- Oscar Wilde
See you tomorrow, darlings!
Luke 🙂
