Comments on Los Angelista's Guide To The Pursuit Of Happiness: Realizing I'm No Spring Chicken

Mo, Thanks for saying so. I know you understand h...

2009-11-11T00:43:10.491-08:00

Mo,
Thanks for saying so. I know you understand how it is since you live here. It is VERY easy to get sucked into the superficial. I try not to go west of Fairfax for that very reason but sometimes it's necessary and I have to go swim with the knifed-up sharks.

Jameil,
People my age are supposed to be retreated to the Valley or the suburbs south or east of the city. And here I am still living in Hipstervania with all the young'uns!

Lisa,
I know. Totally boring! ;)

I'm starting to get a whole bunch of gray in the front -- ok, like 20 of them, and it's a pain. I've been using henna b/c I don't want to use chemical hair dyes, but it doesn't match my natural color. (And lately I'm going through a phase where I'm not feeling too fabulous. It's probably just stress.)

Jen,
LA is sooo skewed. It makes you so aware of it all. I don't know if I'll live here till I'm in my 50s. Gosh, that seems like a long way away for me, but, gulp, that's only 13 years!

Prisoner's Wife,
Uh huh, 22 years ago. Hard to believe it but it's true.

I do think it's possible to age gracefully here, especially if you stay away from the Westside. There's so many neighborhoods here that you don't have to go over there ever if you don't want. Unfortunately, I've been over there a LOT lately. A couple days in Beverly Hills can leave you feeling like you look awful.

wait wait wait...1987 was like 22 years ago?! word...

2009-11-09T19:02:21.407-08:00

wait wait wait...1987 was like 22 years ago?! word???

*breathes into paper bag*

I'M getting old(er).

but looky here: there IS such a thing as "aging gracefully" in LA, sis. i think it's just harder for non-native-Angelinos to NOT get caught up in the hype. Los Angeles, for me, doesn't glitter. it's just like east bumblefuck, USA (except with better weather!) LOL.

you're fine. and BEAUTIFUL! don't stress it.

It's funny - I've really let go of this at this po...

2009-11-09T16:56:42.857-08:00

It's funny - I've really let go of this at this point. It must have been the hitting 50 thing. I also don't care about appearance so much, probably to my detriment, to be honest.

The main thing is you're incredibly healthy, fit, challenging yourself and you look gorgeous. LA is a very skewed place indeed.

P.S. You know you look fabulous, right?

2009-11-09T15:45:50.544-08:00

P.S. You know you look fabulous, right?

As my 3-years-older-than-me friend once said when ...

2009-11-09T15:45:10.319-08:00

As my 3-years-older-than-me friend once said when I expressed angst about turning 30: "Girl, please. You're boring me." :-)

I am 41 and right now my main "aging" issue is white hair. My hair won't go gray, no: it turns white. I think it'll look really cool when it's all white, but I'm not prepared to go all white until I'm at least 50 (totally arbitrary, I admit). So I'm faced with dyeing my hair for at least the next 9 years or so. I'm not ready to accept my age yet!

the more i read about aging in LA, the gladder I a...

2009-11-09T15:07:00.237-08:00

the more i read about aging in LA, the gladder I am not to be there. that doesn't mean i don't want to visit and would be against living there but it sounds brutal when it comes to looks & aging. you already know you're fabulous, tho!

I just turned 40 a couple of months ago, and every...

2009-11-09T13:36:45.711-08:00

I just turned 40 a couple of months ago, and every so often I look in the mirror and see things I'd like to fix. And then I go to an event in Los Angeles and see faces that have been "fixed" and realize I look a hell of a lot better than those pulled, tucked and lifted faces.

It's easy to get sucked into the superficial in this town, but the bottom line is, as long as you're healthy and happy, that's all the matters.

And FYI: You look damn good. I wouldn't worry about it!

Nick, It's so strange how when you're young you th...

2009-11-09T11:01:57.645-08:00

Nick,
It's so strange how when you're young you think you know it all, and then as you get older, you gain the experience and insight to realize you don't know jack.

Here in LA, if you're over 30, you're considered old. It's just weird to see your face change. I don't know if I like it.

Ms. Wooden Shoes,
Thanks! That was a fairly decent hair day when I took those pics. 1984 was a GREAT year for music. MJ, Madonna, Prince... so many greats just banging out the hits that year.

I realized while I was trying to explain to my son how bands like The Cure influence bands he likes now like My Chemical Romance & AFI that I've turned into my mom explaining the Rolling Stones or Joan Baez. Whew.

I was having some of those same issues recently, b...

2009-11-09T06:45:21.074-08:00

I was having some of those same issues recently, brought on by the same thing: 80's music. I remember the music from 1984 vividly. That was 25 years ago!! But don't stress. You look great. And the hair is bangin' :-)

The important thing is to live your life to the fu...

2009-11-09T01:57:42.170-08:00

The important thing is to live your life to the full and enjoy yourself, whatever your age. Those people who're forever trying to regain some sort of illusory golden youth are rather sad. Apart from anything else, by your age you've gained so much experience and insight that the youngsters are still lacking.

And whatever your age, you're certainly looking pretty good in that pic!