First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

A Good Mandarin is Hard to Find

It was my first pedicure in ages and I grabbed my usual shade of browny-beige. Sophisticated, but boring. The manicurist was all set to polish, when suddenly it hit me. It’s SPRING, I’m going to Rome in 20 days, and it’s high time for a little color. I scanned the shelves of metallics, greens, purples and golds, and my gut told me, ORANGE!  The color is perfect, and so is the name.

Do You Get Lost In Parking Lots?

I have a lousy sense of direction. It doesn’t take much for me to get spacially disoriented, and though I joke about having trouble navigating my way out of a closet, it’s no laughing matter. With large parking structures, I’m practically phobic. Even when I carefully note the floor and zone, and try to remember visual cues, one wrong turn out of the elevator, and I’m lost. At the San Francisco Airport, after a tearful sendoff to a German guy I’d been sleeping with, I headed to the garage, only to realize I had NO IDEA where I was parked. Grief stricken (in that special bi-continental love affair kind of way) I wandered from floor to floor. After 45 anxious minutes, I begged a security attendant for help. But now, there’s Auto Finder, a device that will wirelessly track your car within a ½ mile range. Long distance romance, bring it on! On second thought….

How to Be a Birthday Princess

I’ve noticed that the world is divided into two camps – those who could care less about their birthdays and the other half, which would be people like me. Being single makes planning ahead really important, because you have to ask yourself, can you deal with spending your birthday alone? (New Years Eve? Maybe. Birthday? Never!) Take responsibility to get the ball rolling, whether it’s a huge party or an intimate dinner for two, which means first and foremost, reminding friends to keep the evening free. If you’re lucky, your loved ones will take the planning from there. If not, don’t be proud to do it yourself. This year, I wanted something small, so I chose Jar, an elegant restaurant, and invited a couple of close friends to join me. And then, I reveled in being a princess, and enjoyed my birthday, as a “worry-free” zone.

What are you planning for your birthday?

Glass slippers by Martin Margiela

Celebrating a Birthday

I’m off to my neighborhood day spa for a birthday soak and steam.

Image: Cake, 2008, by the wonderful painter, Clare Grill. Check out her show at Sloan Fine Art.

Setting Down Roots

I’m about to celebrate my eighth year in L.A. and I figured it was time for an in-town hair colorist, as opposed to heading every four months to my former home in San Francisco (not that I’m complaining) for auburn highlights. It’s traumatic enough to relocate without having to find new haircare professionals, doctors, auto mechanics, dry cleaners, maitre d’s who know you (and loved ones), so I kept putting it off. Well, that’s not precisely true. Soon after moving, I tried a “highly recommended” salon in L.A. and my hair was colored a hideous shade of berry, which might have been okay, if I had enough attitude. Instead, I wanted to hide in a closet, not a good strategy when you’re trying to make friends. Today, I gave L.A. beauty one more try. My hair color looks warm and bright, just like (enhanced) mother nature intended. So now, I’m here to stay.

Image: Ancient comb found in a tomb from the Han Dynasty

Glamour for Less? Think Target

Fashion designer Zac Posen has created a new collection for Target, in stores starting April 25.       The clothes are flirty, affordable and definitely worth a look.

Happy Earth Day from the Hollywood Fwy!

The first Earth Day, which took place in 1970, is considered the beginning of the modern environmental movement. It was the brainchild of Gaylord Nelson, Senator of Wisconsin, who wanted Washington to become more responsive to environmental issues. There were 20 million participants on April 22, 1970, and it ultimately led to the creation of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency.) It’s proof that grassroots organizing can really change the world earth.

Photo by Constantine Manos, 2004, Magnum Photos

Why It Sometimes Feels Good to Pass

On Sunday afternoons, my dear friend William and I often take Rose to the neighborhood park. The place is swarming with dogs, and Rose loves running with the wind in her hair, leash free. While she’s playing, we stand around swapping pet chat with the other owners, “What breed is yours?” (Not sure. She was adopted.) “Do you know a good groomer?” At first glance, strangers can assume Will and I are married and I used to make sure to correct them. But eventually I figured out that it’s easier just to go with it. And besides, even if for a moment, it feels good to fit in.

Image: European Couple Walking the Dog by Thomas Oda Odulate, at the Detroit Institute of Arts

The Glorious Dorothy Height, 1912-2010

Dorothy Height (with one of her signature hats in the photo above) met Martin Luther King when he was 15. She was impressed that King had already thought seriously about his future, and how he might contribute. I am trying to imagine what it was like for Dorothy Height, born in 1912, to dream of what her future as an African American woman would bring. She won an oratory contest in high school, with the prize of a four-year college scholarship. After getting accepted into Barnard, she was told by the Dean, right before classes began, that they had already reached their quota of two Negro students. Height went on to a B.A. and Masters degree from NYU, and from there, had an influential career, as an executive at the YWCA and for 40 years, as President of the National Council of Negro Women. Along with Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm and Betty Friedan, Height helped found the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. She met with every President since Roosevelt, and upon hearing of her death at 98, Obama hailed her as the godmother of the civil rights movement, who witnessed “every march and milestone along the way.”

Photo: Martin Luther King, delivering his, “I have a dream” speech, August, 1963, Washington D.C.

What I’d Give For Some Peace and Quiet

In January, when it seemed like the California rains would never end, my roof leaked and the dining room ceiling collapsed. It’s now being repaired. In order to spare me (and my finery) from shards of fiberglass dust, the contractor has encased my bedroom and home office in what can aptly be called a giant zip lock bag. As I write this, my dog Rose and I are marinating on one side of the plastic, which may protect us from construction dirt, but not the noise. The cat refuses to come home during the day. The chaos is so unnerving, even my dreams are a mess. But I do have a new item for a, “things I take for granted” list: the freedom of being able to walk in and out of a room, without first reaching for the zipper.

Image: Crewelwork Picture, mid 1700’s, from Women Only: Folk Art by Female Hands

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