Archive for the ‘living in LA’ Category

I know, I know – it seems like I’ve been MIA, but honestly this is the first moment I’ve had to myself. See, my dear Niles, hairdresser to the stars and my rock ever since my Mom died, had a scary fall and I’ve been “Nurse Evie” ever since.

Coming to the rescue for family…

Thankfully Niles lives in my building, and after a party of too much flying from who knows what, he slipped and landed splat on his marble bathroom floor, Speedy Evie and two cute paramedics flew to his rescue. As we sped away from the condo in the ambulance, they gave him Fentanyl (yikes!) and told me he’d broken his hip. I asked how they knew and apparently one leg looked longer than the other, plus some bone was sticking out the wrong way. Poor Niles!

I was so relieved they were willing to drive to my hospital, because volunteering in the ER does have its perks. Everyone in the department hopped-to when they saw me. They understood Niles is “family” me.

Dr. A was thankfully on duty when we arrived around midnight and I’m sure he expedited things because in less than an hour and a half, Niles was admitted upstairs and more comfortable in the hospital bed. Dr. A also called a badass ortho surgeon he knew (Dr. Snow) who came to Niles’ room first thing the next morning. Dr. Snow patiently answered our questions about the hip fracture, surgery and recovery and slotted him into her schedule for later that night.

Waiting while Niles was suffering was so stressful. I can empathize with family members who must play the waiting game. You have to wait for tests, for doctor input, for surgery, to be discharged.  It’s really hard. Star Volunteer Mira, was so supportive. She knew just what to say through all of the hours of not-knowing and brought me Kreation organic smoothies to keep me going.

The surgery went well though and as long as Niles didn’t move much he was okay as long as he got Oxy every four hours. I was a little freaked out  about Oxy… I mean, I saw DOPESICK…) Niles was feeling good about it though. He even joked about what he called his Elephantiasis due to swelling. Meanwhile they kept pumping IV fluids into him, making him even more bloated.

Getting out of the hospital is harder than getting in…

He was ready to be done with it all but whenever the Physical Therapist would stop by to access him daily, he’d get light-headed and his blood pressure would drop so they’d have to stop.

After a few days, I ran down to the ER and asked Nurse Chan, if he had any suggestions because at this rate it looked like Niles would never get out.

“Stop with the Oxy because it makes blood pressure go Ziiiiip! Try Tylenol for PT”

Luckily that and a quick blood transfusion (because Niles was anemic) did the trick. I was able to take Niles home as long as he wouldn’t be alone.  A cute PT guy came 5 days a week and I practiced with Niles in between.

Niles has been a superstar. He aced the walker, graduated to a cane and is now pretty much cane-free except when it comes to big stairways.

The whole experience makes me a appreciate Niles even more. I’m so glad I could help him in his time of need. Niles has always been there for me. I’m grateful that this time I could be there for him.

When Governor Newsom told Californians to STAY HOME, my mind raced —

ACK! What about my roots?!
ACK! What about my nails?!
ACK! What about my workouts?!

So, I went into solve-it mode. Thankfully Amazon, Google, FaceTime and Zoom are still operational! Phew!

6 Ways To Stay FaceTime-Ready while Stuck at Home

Trying some of these Beauty Fixes will help you feel better about how you look AND help fill your days, so they don’t feel so endless…

We will get through this…

Stay safe, sanitized and sane,

xo/evie

Sunny sunflowers remind me of my mom

The middle of the night is an excellent time to stress about things like: “Will I ever book a great gig again?” or “Am I destined to remain an Uber driver for the remainder of my life?”  Tuesday night provides me with a double whammy worry as I notice an odd looking bump on my neck. My insomniatic issues are compounded as I google “red bumps on necks” and can’t decide if I have a bacterial or fungal infection, skin cancer, or if I’ve just been bitten by a Zika-carrying-mosquito.

Volunteering in the ER —

Hours later during my early morning ER shift, I happen to catch the eye of Dr. A on a never-ending call with a former ER patient stressing about a medication she’s been taking.  He tries and tries to reassure her in the nicest and most calming way, not getting anywhere till — Read the rest of this entry »

It’s contagious, so spread it!

Musically-speaking I heard a lot of positivity this weekend. Friday night I was lucky enough to go with my Dad — who’s friends with a high-up at the Recording Academy —  to the Musicare’s Person-of-The-Year Tribute to Carole King.

GOOD TIMES — GOOD SOUNDS

I knew of Carole King because my parents used to play her Tapestry Album over and over and over — plus they went to every James Taylor concert, so I knew she wrote for him too. But I had no idea Carole King wrote music for like 50 years for everyone from the Everly Brothers to Aretha Franklin to Blood Sweat and Tears to the Beatles… I mean the list just goes on and on. And the songs are ones we all know from growing up – they were blasting from our parents’ stereos, on the radio during carpool, in movies like The Big Chill and The Virgin Suicides.  When I listened to the words throughout the Tribute to Carole King, what really struck me was how positive her music is/was — especially if you compare it to what’s popular now, which in a lot of cases is negative, dark and more about sex than love, more about pleasure than feelings — it’s weird, we’re all still human, right? Read the rest of this entry »

No one would argue that L.A. is super COOL —  but it can also be confusing and costly. Want to experience the JOY of SUMMER without getting lost or breaking the bank? Join the club! (Hey, I should be president of it!)

Fun & Free — L.A. July-August

1. Spotify your latest and greatest, blast your sounds on your iPhone, and run your firm body (or at least firm it up on the run) along the beach where you’ll soothe your soul and breathe in fresh salty air. Ahhhh…
2. Bike along the Venice canals (between Washington Avenue and Venice Blvd.) and wind your way around bridges, quaint houses and charming gardens. (I’m an L.A. native and I didn’t even know about this gem of a neighborhood till I saw it in a movie – Truth! So crazy!)
3. On the second Thursday of the month, check out the hipsters and creatives (and oh, yeah – the art) at the Downtown L.A. Art Walk.
4. Step-up and start “Stairing” in Silver Lake or Santa Monica. It’s a great way to get tan, get in-shape and meet new friends. (Seriously, the stairs are packed with potential love interests, bffs-to-be and frenemies who should be on a watchlist, ahaha).  Read the rest of this entry »

Never “woulda thunk it” till I was forced to volunteer in the ER, but the best way to get out of your own head is to do something for someone else. It takes the “me” out of the equation and it gives you a feeling of accomplishing something — even when your world is falling apart. Don’t get me wrong, your world doesn’t have to fall apart in order for you do something for someone else, but you will feel better — while in the process of making someone else feel better — and that’s even better than medicine. (Who needs med school, right?) Read the rest of this entry »

all going POOF!

Disappearing Before Our Eyes —

• romance
• negatives
• video cassettes
• VCR’s
• dating—especially where the guy pays Read the rest of this entry »