Category Archives: Family and Friends Videos

The week after

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Yes, it was great, but I’m eager to get back to life.  Thanksgiving week was  bit different for me this year as I had lots of work.  The kind of work that means I had to sit in a chair all day with other people.  I’m only a tad better at this than my my 4 year old son.  Friday I was Fried indeed from the Thanksgiving cooking, dinner, hosting, football. We are the low rent Kennedy’s so there is always a football game.  

As you can see I bring spirit, if not talent to the game.

Friday day I needed to be sitting.  Sitting. Sitting.   In work mode.  Acting like an adult.  So, when I finally got home I was a tad pent up. The last guest remained, my old travel buddy Whitney.  (“Hey, kids who wants to see the pictures of our trip to Mexico in 2000?  No one?”) So, Whitney caught my vibe ( note: baby sitter scurry away, running toward her car, Mark seen before, ignores us).  Click here to see crazy lady dancing around the house

At least as I sat and sat last week I was with people I like who treated me with respect. I thought of friends who are treated shabbily in their work and  how soul killing that is . I’m a performer at heart, so even if the job of the day doesn’t entail a performance I need to let the monkey roar.

 

Preparing for Thanksgiving

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Once again I’m hosting Thanksgiving.  Family from halfway across the globe will be in my house. I’m starting to get a tad nervous.

Extra wine glasses- needed

Have enough chairs? – too nervous to count

Plates?–maybe I should bite the bullet and rent this year.    Last year I did a nice series of vids with cafe mom.  One was about this very issue.  It’s time to rerun it.  As they say in hack branded videos, “What are you doing to get ready?”

That’s a big turd, little one

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In honor of the Republican Congress I thought I’d show you my favorite vlog about a turd.  Cause those pin heads sure have made a mess!  Those poor foreign tourists waiting to get into Yellowstone. How do they gate that whole place off?

I can’t make a brand new video until the federal printing machine is back on.  No, this is not a government-funded blog, it’s solidarity.  (Maybe I could get funded one day…  ”The blog to nowhere”  has a good ring)

I also love seeing Viven younger.  AHHH.

News of the day on Mid Morning with Cool Mom and Rex

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I don’t have to be on “The View” or “The Talk” to get into hot topics.     I do have the cutest sidekick in the biz who has great comic timing.  Rex and I shot this before I had my breakfast.  We had a lot to discuss.    I like to do a bit more old school talk show.  Mike Douglas, Dick Cavett, Merv Griffin.  They didn’t just have actors on but occasionally had on people with real thoughts and ideas.

I just wish I had a key light.

Family Road Trip

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Okay, so here is magnum opus on my last hurrah of summer.  To some driving around in a mini van for two weeks with two small children might be hellish.  I was in heaven.  Did they listen when I tried to tell them the importance behind Bob Dylan’s “Shelter from the storm”?  No, but we bonded in other ways.  Most of it we did as three for the road, but Mark joined us 8 days in.

Being a mom of two littles is easier for me on the open road.  We aren’t chained to our screens.  Away from stressors.  That’s why they call it vacation.  Mountain of laundry

Dr. Dean Edell in retirement, an interview

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A huge part of my life were the 6 and half years I spent as the producer of the Dr. Dean Edell radio show(’93 to ’99).  Dean brought me on as side kick, I had “Daphne’s corner” and even a theme song thanks to Amy Turner!  He and Jeff Fischgrund gave me my first ever TV job as his on screen “screener” for his TV show “Hey, Dr. Dean”.   So I would love the guy for the breaks he gave me, but I really love him because in the words of my mom  ”he re-raised you.”  He has been an incredible mentor, friend, second dad. Whether listening to my drama unfold on some dating situation to career advice he was there for me.  I relied on him so much that when I gave notice, because I wanted to spread my wings creatively, do more TV, probably return home to LA ( we were in San Francisco) I gave him a years notice.

Now the syndicated radio show, the syndicated TV, the local TV are all behind him as he enjoys retirement with his wonderful wife Sharon.  My kids ( and Mark and I) love visiting them at their sprawling country spread in Mendocino.  We are as close as family, but as relaxed as friends.   On our most recent trip I said, “Hey, let’s do a video.”  You can hear the sounds of the country.  Dean said, “we could prop the camera up over there.”  But, someone volunteered to be the camera person.

 

I’m filled with joy that our friendship continues.

NO Camp Camp

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Summer is here and I have my children in a different camp every week!  Well, not really. I was recently accused of “allowing my children to play unsupervised in the backyard.”  Call me guilty!  They have a childhood.

I haven’t signed them up for stuff all summer.  Why?

1) I want to spend time with them

2)  I don’t have full time job so I don’t need to

3) they need to play

4)  I don’t want to have to be somewhere every morning when I do that 9 months out fo the year

5) They need to play  I’m not the first to say this may experts do.

But, just so you can see what I’m doing to these poor kids and call Children Protective services here is a special report.

Oh, with  a nod to my rabid anti circumcision stance.

Summer planning with a rising 3rd grader… harder than it should be…

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I love summer!  I love not racing to school.  I love not saying “have you done your homework”, not packing lunch every day and dodging the dog pooh that lines the walkway near my daughter’s school.

I love getting to see my kids more.  Vivien consented to sit for a brief interview.  It’s been a while.  In journalism we’d call this a “get”.  The one hitch is that Rex insisted on helping with production.  Oh, help he did

unnamed happy birthday

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“is this a significant birthday?” friends ask.

Not in a number sense.  But it was important to make it more joyful than last year when some bad business news arrived on my birthday 2012.  A dark cloud hung over it and stayed, and stayed. I can’t say it better than Eddie Murphy did in this old sketch.  That about sums up my feeling

The clouds have not entirely parted, but as Mark and I have now learned what to do.  Live with the clouds, don’t let them cover you. When the going gets tough, the tough throw a party.  So, Mark threw together a lovely cocktail party at our home. He made the food.  He told me proudly he had used my meatball and savory tart recipe.  I’m flattered.

woken up on my birthday. Perfect!

 We had a bartender.

I bought a new dress.

I drank a couple of Manhattan’s.  My favorite drink.

I’m very lucky to have friends and family show up for me.  Their presence was the present for sure.

 

Return to Stand up

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This was very fun to do.  Cafe Mom Studios included me in a great line up of female comics who also happen to be moms.  I hadn’t done stand up in a long time.  It went very well. You will see my closing bit was pulled from something I developed here.

Enjoy and share.