Around Town - The Santa Monica Scene

Last week, with the rush to vote on the Stimulus Bill (which not one Senator had actually read all the way through) I was asking myself are things really that bad that we need to create Federal Obligations that exceed the World's GDP? Are people at all concerned about 65.5 trillion in actual Federal Debt?

I decided to get out on the town with my peeps to see if there really is a recession because so far I haven't seen any signs of it in my hood.

The Huntley Hotel

So I started with my date at the Penthouse bar at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica. It was early still, not too crowed and I liked the vibe. Modern decor I'd call "sexy beach" by Thomas Schoos accented with off white, low loungey tables on one side, banquettes against the picture windows on the other and a white bar in the middle.

More than the decor I liked the view...sparkling from Malibu to Palos Verdes along the coast and crystal clear to downtown LA.

The Penthouse Restaurant

Needing something a little healthier than cocktails, we decided to try the Penthouse Restaurant for dinner. Seated at a window table, it was the best view I had ever had at a restaurant in LA...absolutely stunning. My date was pretty stunning too so all around I had visual delight.

I wish that I could say that the food was delightful too....but it just OK. (You can skip the crab cakes and I don't even want to know what was in the amuse bouche...it was so not good)

In spite of the food, the restaurant was packed with shiny happy people. I definitely didn't discern any economic pessimism at the Huntley.

The Bodega Wine Bar

After dinner, still in the investigative mood, we decided to head over to the Botega Wine Bar. I hadn't tried it yet....although it had been highly recommended by both my in house council, Renee and by young Mr. de Ville. And while I did like it...it was a bit too crowded and loud and I just wasn't feeling it so off we went to The Wilshire.

Now typically I like the Wilshire....not so much for the bar but for the restaurant which is killer expensive but the food is great. I had thought that it might be a little quiet given the price point but I was wrong again. It was hopping like everything else in town...a little too hopping....so we went to Holly's Lounge next door.

Holly's West Lounge

Holly's was the perfect place to check out the mood of the younger generation because the average age was around 24. As we settled into a low sofa with our light beers in hand I definitely didn't get the feeling that anyone there was concerned about the Federal debt being so large that the government would be functionally bankrupt for the rest of their lives.

But then I remembered that this is Santa Moncia, the Westside, where the hedgefund and entertainment industry scions live and play....

where recessions never happen and all things are enchanted...

And I thought to myself....excellent.....a pool of future clients....

Music- Belle and Sebastian - Seeing Other People

Is there A Recession In The Bedroom?

From the BBC
Is sexual desire entering a recession?

Valentine's Day, by tradition, is an opportunity for declarations of love and lust. But will 2009 be different?
Given the economic downturn, is passion too in recession? Or will couples fling themselves into each other's arms to compensate for their inability to spend, spend, spend?

Apparently according to the BBC

The sheer stress of money worries in general, and fear of redundancy in particular will, she argues, elevate levels of the chemical dopamine in the brain - and dopamine is associated with romantic love.
"Times of stress can trigger feelings of attraction - quite simply, you're more susceptible," she said.

Then again

Denise Knowles, Relate sex therapist, said: "Economic uncertainties can cause people to become more anxious - with the added dimension of people trying to get another job, or working longer hours to cover for a partner who has lost theirs.
"In the end, they are simply less likely to want sexual activity at the end of a long day."
In addition, the very anxiety that may be fuelling the initial desire to bond sexually may also sap the ability to experience pleasure.
Self-esteem classically drops during recession, particularly for those who actively lose their jobs.
Equally, respect drops for a partner who is economically less successful.
Then, desire plummets along with the esteem and respect.

Can this be true?

Are these theories contradictory? Does the recession create lust - or sap it? Does a lack of money lead to a raising of desire - or a lowering of sexual action?

Maybe economic woes bring us together but then make us unable to enjoy the fruits of that bonding.

Dr. De Ville advises that we all try to take the focus off of our financial woes and concentrate on the people in our lives that we care about.
Recessions come and go...but life is so very short and as John Maynard Keynes said, in the long run we are all dead. So why not leave recessionary issues out of the bedroom.

The Key To Kissing

From Popular Science
And they ought to know this stuff....

The Secret of Successful Kissing

Can drooling make you a better kisser? Scientific evidence suggests that wet, sloppy smooches pack a bigger biochemical punch than dry kisses and thus may be more likely to lead to sex and reproduction, says Rutgers University researcher Helen Fischer, who spoke today at the AAAS conference in Chicago.

Men are particularly prone to sloppy kissing, she notes, possibly because males tend to have a poor sense of smell and taste and aggressive face sucking may be an unconscious effort to gauge a partner's estrogen levels and fertility cycle. It may also be an unwitting effort to transmit testosterone, which can be found in saliva and can increase sexual attraction. Alternatively, it may also be just plain gross. (That would be my unscientific conclusion.)

Fisher and other scientists who study "philematology," the science of kissing, believe that the act evolved as a "mechanism for mate choice and selection." It stimulates sex drive, romantic love and attachment, the latter two helping us tolerate people even when we're not having sex with them, she says. Saliva is a powerful way to telegraph your chemical goods but be warned that extra drool could backfire if your prospective mate finds you biochemically incompatible. Hence, the term "kiss of death," says Fischer. Good luck.

Music - The Cure - Pictures of You

Happy Valentine's Day