playmates -

it's important to have friends in your life

that not only interest you,

but entertain you.

and most importantly,

entertain your family.

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jim takes care of tim:

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lyle has a thing with grr:

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and brandon has covered avec:

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playmates RULE.

intentionally cruel post about dinner on a tuesday last week or so -

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avec wakes from her nap.

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grr leads the way.

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tim preps the burgers.

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the sun sets over west hollywood.

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dinner is this simple.

Moldavia, that's where. and denise richards. jared leto, too.

when jim and lyle insisted on stopping by this "place" in beverley hills on our way back

from the beach, little did i know i had already been.

when we pulled into the small european country 

(hard to find on a map, still)

i vividly remembered the happy times leading up to the tragedy.

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how the whole wedding party was so happy,

yet on edge.

how catherine oxenberg was still having trouble acting,

and everyone suspected alexis would wear a hat.

how "moldavia" would never be the same 

after the season finale massacre 

that none of us saw coming.

_

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the grounds were even lovelier than i remembered.

the neighborhood was definitely growing.

witness a neighboring "country", under construction:

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i think jim and lyle would have moved in if one of the doors had opened.

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and as if the "Dynasty" references weren't enough

(for those of you too young, rent.)

i suddenly remembered why it REALLY felt oddly familiar.

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i HAD been to moldavia before.

i shot denise richards when she was just a baby model,

right in that room on a huge red velvet sofa.

it was my second (?) commercial ever,

for Secret.

jared leto was in the spot as well,

and spent most of the day walking around without his shirt on,

talking about his band.

between the two of them,

the future of hollywood and reality television.

in one made-up country.

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the FOURTH of july, a beach, lots of sun, and a personal point of pride:

this july 4th,

in celebration of all things american-like 

and such,

tim and i took a wild swing outside the zone,

and went to the beach.

no restaurants.  no shopping.  no parties.  

the beach.

nature.

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now, i grew up "on the beach".

my grandparents always lived on one island or another 

(st croix, st. simons, etc.)

so i was a sun n surf baby.

but as i've grown, i've drifted from the grit and glory of these things,

and forgotten how much i missed it.

the sound of the waves,

the dull roar of the beach breeze,

snippets of conversations, laughter, moments from others,

the WEIGHT of the sun on your skin.

i was close to tears at how much i'd missed it.

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of course, going with jim and lyle didn't hurt.

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i walked down the beach by myself,

much the way my grandfather and i did when i was little, 

not speaking, just absorbing.

granted, i felt like i was being followed . . .

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turned out it,

was tim.

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and,

in more expected vanity,

this is what i was most thankful for on july 4th:

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that three years later,

after losing 57 pounds through diet and exercise,

i had pretty much kept it off.

not a model body,

but damn proud to be at the beach,

in this shape,

coming up on my next birthday.

happy independence day, kidlets.

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BLACK AND WHITE or COLOR?

did another shoot this sunday

with the intent of polishing my b&w skills.

after, still wondering which i prefer:

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or color?

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i'm listening . . . votes?