Why yes, you did see me on Sports Center!

That’s why it’s been so long since I blogged. I sincerely apologize, but some things take precedence. Like being on Sports Center. And hanging out with Ashton Kutcher.

My trip to LA was amazing! Well, in honesty, I didn’t get to do a lot more than work, (it was a business trip, after all), and travel, (it was a trip, after all). But, the few things that I did do other than work and travel were amazing!

I got the window seat on the flight to CA. The USA is pretty beautiful! — I snagged the window seat on the flight to CA. The USA is pretty beautiful!

I had a big, fancy hotel room all to myself, complete with a balcony that overlooked palm trees and a pond. Oh, and there was a free shower cap in the bathroom!

The hotel was on the beach, so I woke up early one morning to stick my toes in the Pacific. — The hotel was right on the beach, so I woke up early one morning to stick my toes in the ocean. I had never touched the Pacific before, so I was really excited to check another first off of my list.

I don’t know if you’ve been to California, but if you haven’t, here’s something you should remember before nearing the water:

The waves come up really high.

Much higher than they do in Lake Michigan.

It might look like the water isn’t coming at you very fast, but believe me. It is.

And if you’re not paying close attention, say, if you’re staring into space smiling like an idiot because you’ve just touched the Pacific for the first time, you’ll end up with jeans that are wet and salty from your ankles to your thighs.

Or so I’ve heard.

I quickly forgot about the shock of my lower half being submerged in the ocean, though, when a moment later I saw the most beautiful thing; Two dolphins swam right in front of me!

Ok well, at first it didn’t seem like the most beautiful thing because I thought they were sharks, so I turned and high-tailed it onto the beach as quickly as I could. But, once I turned around and they popped their little faces out of the water again, I saw that they were dolphins. And I swear they smiled at me! It was wonderful.

The first night in LA was the best. The folks from the agency I was there to visit took my boss and me to the Palm for dinner and drinks. We had our own personal sommelier whose name was Peter Pan, no joke. (I asked him if he was a Lost Boy, but he didn’t get it.) We ate a huge surf and turf dinner with steaks, the biggest lobster (formerly) on the planet, shrimp, tuna, and a dozen other delights. I honestly think it was the tastiest meal I’ve ever eaten.

After dinner, we walked to the Staples Center for the Lakers vs Pacers game. Our seats were incredible! Courtside, adjacent to the Pacers’ bench. The players all ran past us to get to and from the locker room. I made eye contact with some of them.

In case you’ve never sat on the court at an NBA game before, let me tell you a little something you may not know: Basketball players are very tall. Much taller than I am.

And now, for the best diagram you’ve ever seen:

Look at the price on that ticket! Yowza.

[Insert cool and relevant basketball terms here]

At halftime, we got to go to a super top-secret bar club thingy next to the locker rooms. It was very exclusive, and we had to show our tickets to a guy at the door before we were allowed entry. Unfortunately, somewhere in the hallway between the court and the bar, my boss lost his ticket. I told him I’d wait in front of the door for him while he went back to his seat to look for the ticket.

So, I was standing there in the hallway, minding my own business, sending texts to my dad about sportsy things. I sent a text, put my phone in my purse, and looked up when someone stopped in front of me. I assumed it was my boss, but when I made eye contact with the person, I saw that it wasn’t him at all; it was Ashton Kutcher!

Play it cool, Gillian, I said to myself. (I refer to myself as Gillian when I’m being cool. It’s pronounced the same as “Jillian”, but it’s spelled differently.)

“Hey,” I said to Buddy Ashton.

“Hi,” he said back to Cool Gillian.

I smiled. He smiled. Then he pulled down the bill of his baseball cap, shielding his face slightly, and walked into the bar.

I’m thinking of sending him a Christmas card.

Throughout the night, I also saw Jack Black, Gene Simmons and his wife Shannon, and Andy Garcia. Unfortunately, the only celebrity I really wanted to see was Jack Nicholson, but he wasn’t there. I did see his empty seat, though, so that’s gotta count for something.

The game was super cool and got really exciting near the end when some tall guy who plays for the Pacers scored a game-winning basket in the hoop in front of us. Thus, the reason I was on Sports Center!