The most thoughtful Los Angelista invited me to a blogger's event sponsored by the California Milk Board and their long-running "Got Milk?" advertising campaign. I was surprised to learn the slogan that spawned so many imitations has been around for 16 years. This event was part of their outreach to the Spanish-speaking audience with the similar "Toma Leche".
The idea is to make a bunch of bloggers happy and tell them that drinking milk helps hair growth because it contains protein and vitamins. It was interesting to talk to bloggers about the ups and downs of these sorts of events, and to experience one first hand.
It was held at Estilo Salon on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood, which was a very comfortable place. Nice decor but not fussy.
That's my hand getting a manicure from the lovely A, who is from Toronto originally. I am wearing a ring and earrings from Antipasta and a bracelet from Braveheart. I wear these pieces other times, but make sure to have them with me when I am going into a new situation or a writing-related event. They're my talismans, my lucky stuff.
This was my first blogger event, and you'd think I'd be nervous, but just the fact that Los Angelista thought I was cool enough to be there made me feel at ease. I was curious about how these things go.
Photo by Emilio Flores
It was very interesting to meet other bloggers. I'm the one in the middle with the gift bag...more on that later. Left to right : NJ of Yellowbox, Los Angelista, me, Chatty of Constant Chatter on my right, and a writer's assistant whose name I didn't get.
It was cool being around other bloggers, because we are all making it happen for ourselves. I'm not saying that there is anything in the least wrong with traditional writing venues (in
which I continue to beleive), but writers are constantly asking permission to share their work and being denied access.
It was refreshing to talk about work we are actually doing, whether we're being paid for it or not. There was no angst about "am I worthy to call myself a writer if I'm not being constantly published" which plagues many of us.
It made me feel even better about being here, doing this.
To add to the fun, there were fabulous tiny sweet things on hand, and a latte bar serving real live milk!
I happened to take this photo on my way to the salon, because it was good to see the Insomnia sign. Insomnia first opened near my apartment in Sherman Oaks years and years ago, and was a beloved hangout. I included Milk in the photo because of the bulding, and as it turned out, they provided the treats pictured above.
That's Roberto Ramos giving consultations on the right. I was the second person to get a consult. He was a lot of fun, and very easy to talk with. We bargained for the amount of time I'd be willing to spend every day on my hair and shared a laugh. He did almost nonstop consultations for about 2 hours. Must have been tiring, but he was very gracious about it.
Up top, there's a DJ who kept the music going all night.
Looking down on the event from next to the DJ. I didn't go up there. This is another Emilio Flores photo, sent to me by the folks at "Got Milk?"
I don't know why I look so apologetic in this photo. I'm having a great time. Cool mirror shot of Chatty taking the photo, yes? And that's Emilio Flores on the left, taking his own pix.
Los Angelista gets advice. I didn't hear everything he said, but I did get that he didn't tell her to get her hair straightened. Good man. Thank goodness, her tiny curls are just adorable. He seems to flow with women's instincts for their hair and build on that.
He said I'm doing mine almost half right. Suggested some products and some layers in the bottom. Actually, it sounds like the way I was having it cut before I had the layers cut out in February as an experiment.
I wish I remembered this lovely person's name, or the name of the writer she assists. This was late in the evening and she'd waited a long time.
Okay, drumroll folks! They gave away three levels of gift certificates for salon services at Estilo: $75, $125 and $200.
And guess who won the $200!
Yeah! Me!
Boy, I really need this. I was just thrilled. I hope I thanked everyone enough.
I called the next day and made an appointment for the week before I go to Indiana, which will be two weeks before my 30th high school reunion. [Jeez, that always sounded soooo impossible up until now.... No, actually, it still sounds impossible. Little ol' me?]
Roberto Ramos is going to make me look just like Jessica Alba, whose hair he also does. Along with a lot of other gorgeous celebs. Okay, not just like Jessica. Maybe I could aim for Bette Midler, though?
What a fun evening. Dodger was very curious about my gift bags when I arrived home.
"Got Milk" gear and a pampering kit were in the bags. I gave them to my neighbor, who is in his mid-to-late twenties and will give them to his friends. There's also a tee shirt.
All in all, very interesting and fun evening.
