I also live blogged these sessions that were not part of the webcast of the Women's Conference.

Women at War with Women and How that Impact the Presidential Election

Once in a Lifetime Conversation: Gloria Steinem and Marian Wright Edelman

Rocco DiSpirito may have been bounced off of Dancing with the Stars but he waltzed his way onto the Spice It Up Stage

Lean Cuisine donated a dollar to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for every signature on their wall
It has been a crazy week! While the CA Governor and First's Lady's Conference on Women is an absolutely amazing event and you can check out the webcast at CaliforniaWomen.org. I admit, it does get a little estrogen heavy for me by the end of the day, so it was more than welcome to listen to Bono discuss The ONE Campaign, a nonpartisan charity with the goal of fighting global AIDS and extreme poverty. If you are not familiar with it, please check out ONE and you can watch Bono's speech as well. To quote Mary Poppins, "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down" and Bono is one big sugary treat. I have never met an Irishman who wasn't glib of tongue and possessed an eye for the ladies cleverly combined with self-deprecating charm. Rumor has it that there is quite a bit of Irish in my blood, so maybe the attraction is genetic but I admit a black-haired, blue-eyed man with a brogue will get me in trouble every time. Anyhoo, here are some of the photos of the "Night at the Village'' or as I like to call it, trick-or-treat for adults. As one of the live bloggers for the official website I did my best to convey all the details of the sensory overloaded event. Night At the Village

Just some of the swag

So many opportunities for book signings. Here is the Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels, Minerva Award Winner, Billie Jean King and Oprah's favorite doctor, Dr. Mehmet Oz

Library Learning - LA Style

While it is true that people generally do not walk very frequently in Los Angeles, Santa Monica is a great town for walking town. Yesterday I wandered over to the main branch of the beautiful Santa Monica Library do some research. There are four branches of the SM library and I am conveniently located equidistant between two of them, a mile in either direction. As I enjoyed my stroll through the Third Street Promenade, I figured this would be a pretty straightforward trip. However, this is Los Angeles and you have to expect the unexpected. The library was offering the opportunity to “check out” a person for 30 minutes and no, it wasn’t some twisted, kinky thing but part of the Living Library Project. The goal of the Living Library Project “is to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and thereby encourage integration”. The “books” included a Buddhist, a cancer survivor, a celebrity publicist, a disability activist, a fat activist, a feminist, a formerly homeless person, a homeless advocate, a nudist, an Oaxacan American, a raw foodist and a teenager. I eliminated several of these options based on existing knowledge, previous experience, my lack of interest and the wackiness factor and ended up requesting the raw foodist. (I know, I should’ve requested the nudist but the wait time was too long).

After a lovely conversation with Margaret, who it turns out is actually a vegan who dabbles in a raw food diet, I walked away with two vegan recipes and a renewed resolution to try to eat healthier. Not a bad thing since I have been nibbling away at the Halloween candy I allegedly purchased for trick-or-treaters. There are four farmers' markets a week, two raw food restaurants, a farmers' co-op market, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and several supermarkets just in Santa Monica, so there plenty of opportunities to purchase fresh, not to mention, organic foods in the area. While I do not think I could ever maintain a raw food diet, I enjoyed the conversation and the insight into a different lifestyle. To learn more about the Living Library Project or to see if your local library will be participating, visit Living Library

Welcome!

Who is the Bemused Blonde? A former East Coast girl, I decided to relocate to the West Coast a few years ago. With no definite location in mind, I finally settled down when I ran into the Pacific Ocean (well, it is 6 blocks away from my home...close enough). And, yes, I am a beach blonde who is constantly bemused, befuddled and baffled by life. And by life, I mean people. While I am no model of mental stability, I certainly hope you will find some amusement in my bemusement.