I am feeling a bit sorry for myself this week – my car got hit whilst parked outside the post office and even though I was not even in the vicinity I still have to pay a $500 deductible (‘excess’ to the Brits). Then to make matters worse, I come home to find that the builders working on the apartment above me have decided that it will be okay to ‘borrow’ my electricity – I can only imagine that they didn’t think I would notice the royal blue extension cord that led from my balcony to their front door; or perhaps they mistook my friendliness for gullibility…either way I feel like I have had a week of woe!
But I started to feel rather ashamed of my #FirstWorldProblems (Yes, I actually do catch myself thinking in #hashtags occasionally, doesn’t everyone?); I had read some of the emails that had arrived in our Brits in LA email account. Two that struck a chord with me in particular were from Petrie Williams and Julia Verdin – both long-time members who were asking us to help us help others by raising awareness of their efforts to highlight the plights of underprivileged kids and teens in Los Angeles. You may remember Petrie from past years – she is the brains behind the charity SafetyHarborKids.org who pledge to enrich the lives of orphans, foster and homeless children through education in the areas of college, career and the arts. They have a their 9th Annual Polo Match Fundraiser coming up on September 10th at Will Rogers Park – and have set up a very generous discount for Brits in LA readers (feel free to donate more if you are feeling flush!) If you’d like to attend and nab the Brits In LA discount visit safetyharborkids.org/events/britsinla.html.
Julia Verdin has made a film about the seedier side of Hollywood – it is a story about sex traffickers which are sadly very prevalent in Los Angeles – ‘Lost Girls’ premieres at the prestigious LA Shorts Film Festival this weekend, on Sunday September 4th at the Regal Cinema in downtown. Visit LAShortsFest.com for more info. Julia is such a champion of Brits in LA, that it would be lovely to return her continued support with a sold out premiere – so go if you can!
These two subject matters really did give me the reality check I needed, as I am pretty sure any of the kids involved would trade my surprise $500 bill and a cheeky ‘leccy tea leaf’ in return for me offloading their bag of problems. I know it’s very clichéd to say, but if ever you are feeling down on your luck there really is always someone who would be grateful to only have your troubles to deal with. Doesn’t mean that your worries aren’t relevant, so if you need an ear, you can always drop us a line or come along to one of our breakfasts and have a chat there.
We are always being asked if we can send volunteers to help in various fields so drop us a line if you would like to be added to our volunteer list at: BritsinLA@gmail.com. I have regularly donated to a related local charity ‘Children of the Night’. They help rescue children from prostitution – they are always looking for volunteers as well as donations. Visit www.childrenofthe night.org/get-involved for full details.
If all else fails and you still don’t feel better, catch the latest episode of Eastenders – it never fails to cheer me up. Although I did one better the other night, as not only was EE icon Patsy Palmer the DJ for the birthday celebrations of fellow Brit Jane Owen, but Jessie Wallace was also in attendance! Kat and Bianca rocking out in LA! See, even the cast of the most miserable soap opera in Britain get a happy ending!
Attn: Duke Dumont fans: the British DJ and music producer is performing September 24th at The Novo, located at LA Live in downtown LA and we have two tickets for readers. To get your name in the sorting hat, email britsinla@gmail.com with your name and contact details. Put the word abracadabra somewhere in the email and I’ll put your name in the hat twice! Winner will be chosen at random on Tues. Sept. 6th at noon.
Don’t forget that Pub Quiz at the Pikey is back on Tuesday September 6th with Sandro Monetti – visit us at www.britsin.la for times and rules – I will be attending so give me or Sandro a shout if you need a team to join.
Have a great Labor Day Weekend – visit us on Facebook if you need some tips on what to do for the end of Summer holiday weekend…
Cheers!
Eileen
