Suzanne_Marques's Blog

What do you think of this new law that requires drivers to keep the phone away from their ear?

On GDLA this morning, I was riding with CHP Officer Blase Austin CHP as he ticketed a guy for breaking the new law.  The guy had a hands-free device sitting on his seat.

It sounds silly, but lots of people I've talked to say they've bought a hands-free device but don't want to bother with it.  I used one for the first time today and I felt it was more distracting than driving with the phone up to my ear.  My mind was on the conversation and I couldn't really hear the person on the other end, so I gave up and didn't take calls at all.  (Yeah, yeah, I know it's the best solution.)

Another annoyance is that the saying paired with this new law is, "keep both hands on the wheel!"  Yet you can still text, brush your hair, apply mascara, eat and do just about everything else and get away with it.

I scared myself the other day because I was texting while driving.  It was brief, my eyes were off the wheel long enough to drift toward the car in the next lane.  He didn't even honk, but I noticed how close my car came to bumping his new SUV.  I would've been toast!  It was a wake-up call & I don't text anymore behind the wheel.  Ok, let me come clean.  If I'm at a long light I'll check texts and USUALLY don't respond.  :)

I love to listen to music while driving, so I think I'm going to invest in an ipod hookup instead of a bluetooth.  The conversations can wait.

In my dreams, I have a beautiful garden.  I venture into my backyard to pick greens for a salad, vegetables for grilling, or pluck a fresh carrot out of the ground just like Bugs Bunny.

In reality, my backyard is a wild, rocky hillside and the closest I get to fresh vegetables and fruit is my local market, which sells a sad sample of wilted organic produce.  I admit some blame, because I live and work near two fantastic farmers' markets, but they are often so busy I can never find parking and lose patience.  I sell out and head over to Ralph's/Albertsons/etc.  (Whole Foods & Bristol Farms are for special occasions!)

I discovered a story today that seems so timely with this tomato recall.  First of all, California's tomatoes are not suspected of being part of the salmonella outbreak.  But when I go to the market, it doesn't normally say where the produce originated.  By the way, I bought some of the tomatoes with the vine still attached - which the FDA recommends right now.  They were a pretty penny - $2.61 for two tomatoes!

Let's get to the new concept.  What if you could buy a share of a local farmer's crop.  Say, a farm in Bakersfield?  They'd send you a box every week of their best produce, right to your doorstep.  It's local and fresh. 

More people in the US are doing just that.  It's reducing trips to the supermarket and the cost of shipping food.  Did you know California is the top agricultural state in the nation and it's been that way for the past 50 years?  We have an abundance, a cornucopia of options!  (Ok, I've been waiting for an opportunity to use that word outside of Thanksgiving... finally.)

The concept is called community-supported agriculture programs, or CSA.  You can buy a share of a farmer's crop, but the drawback (right now) is that it isn't cheap.  It costs between $500 and $600 for a a weekly box of vegetables and fruits during the summer and fall.  A box typically feeds three or four people for a week.  Sometimes farms offer half-shares if you are single or a couple.  I could break it down and do the math, but plunking down a half-grand for fruits and veg is a concept that's a bit hard to swallow.

If you're game, or just curious, find a CSA farm near you at a California-based website called LocalHarvest.

It is becoming so popular, there are waiting lists for many farmers.  Plus, it's a chance to help out your local farmer by skipping the middleman and paying the farmer directly.  You've heard of Farm Aid right?  :)

CSA farmers and members save on gas because rather than having produced shipped hundreds or thousands of miles, produce is dropped off and picked up at central locations.  It's often just a few miles away.    We all like saving money on gas, and the reduced emissions don't hurt either.

Could this be the start of something big?  Who knows.  Remember when shopping for groceries online was the next big thing.. and then it went belly up?  I still like the idea of buying locally, supporting your local farmers.  Plus, I love mail.  Especially when it tastes delicious.

By the way, I snagged this photo from a blog called Love and Veggies.  Check it out! They detail their CSA weekly surprises.

My girlfriends and I went to the Arclight theater in Hollywood to see Sex & The City.  We dressed as the characters, had lunch at Magnolia, then went to watch the film. 

We loved it!  My girlfriends and I were crying and laughing throughout the whole film.

Here are some snapshots!

Talk about party guests!  Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Fergie, Snoop Dogg, Pamela Anderson... out at Christian Audigier's 50th birthday bash Friday night at the Peterson Auto Museum.

Christian Audigier is a French fashion designer aka Ed Hardy, who helped make Von Dutch popular... along with the trucker cap trend.  That's a distant memory.  Now he has his own clothing line, wine, a little bit of everything... and clearly knows how to throw a great birthday party.

I went with a group of friends & one of them, Manny Mijares is a record producer.  He was there debuting one of his new artists.  Her name is Maddie Lauer and her new song is called Butterfly Tattoo.  If you are familiar with Christian's designs, he has tattoos drawn all over his creations.  They've partnered up on something... That was my celeb connection.   

Let's get back to a play by play of the party!

You entered the museum passing the candy-colored lowrider exhibit.  Fitting, since Christian has such colorful designs.

After walking through the museum, guests entered a hall washed in white and icy blue.   It switched gears from hot cars to cool partying. Women perched on white pedestals looking like the Snow Queen from The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.  Makeup that looked like icicles on their face, wearing huge hoop skirts like frosty cupcakes.  It was a bit of a winter wonderland.

Once you stepped outside, you were standing in an open-air rooftop with white tenting.  More dancers in white perched behind the bar, slowly fanning gigantic gauzy strips of sheer fabric.  The bar was serving Ed Hardy alcohol & Christian Audigier wine.  It's all about branding folks!

It was a bit chilly outside, but things heated up with the champagne fountain.  Brazilian Carnival dancers shimmied out to the fountain to collect the champagne and pass it out to revelers. 

But the main event was in a huge red ballroom, set up like an elegant circus.  It was over the top under this big top.  The doors opened with Macy Gray serenading the crowd.  Circque de Soliel trapeze artists wrapped themselves up and down 30-foot drapes, people were hanging from swings up in the air, campy angels and devils walked around entertaining guests.

As we made our way through the party, we posed for a photo with Perez Hilton, who was on his crackberry.  My girlfriend told him to get off it, he said, "I don't think so sweetie."  Such a Perez statement.  He looked good.  His red & blue hair is gone, along with a few extra pounds.  His hair is a tasteful shade of dark brown and he's slim & trim. 

Snoop Dogg

My girfriend talked our way into the VIP section, and then Snoop Dogg hit the stage and played a good long set.  Fergie came out and did the same.  When the performers weren't working it, the DJ played Gypsy Kings.  Gals painted in red, wearing massive wigs of the same color were perched on top of low pedestals in the VIP area.   They were a bit shocking, but heads never snapped so fast when Britney Spears sauntered into the VIP section.  Brit Brit sipped on a diet coke, sitting with two friends for a few minutes while photographers snapped photos.  She was there for about 15 minutes and then left. 

Michael Jackson

Now, the highlight of the night.  Michael Jackson walked onto the stage waving to the crowd, wearing a silky bright blue shirt.  The sound was deafening.  Screams and shouts and camera phones high up in the air.  It was like everyone reverted back to the first time they played Thriller on their record player.  (Okay, so that's what was going through my mind.)  Christian spoke about Michael being the King of Pop & Michael returned the compliment by calling him the best fashion designer.  I didn't hear the rest.  The crowd went wild....

Pamela Anderson also took the stage, but I was already outside.  I figured the night had hit its peak.  Poor Pamela, following Michael.  No one should have to!

About that time, the party moved back into the lowrider exhibit inside the museum.  Guests lounged on white couches set between vintage cars while the DJ was spinning songs.  Everyone was dancing... After a few turns on the dance floor, it was time to go.

Happy birthday Christian... 50 and fantastic!

Christy, brazilian dancer, Suzanne

Christy and Britney

Christian, Pamela Anderson

Record producer Manny Mijares

Maddie Lauer

Junior Achievement students at Prisk Elementary in Long Beach holding up "11" for the camera.

On Friday, I had the chance to speak in front of a junior achievement class at Prisk Elementary.

While I was speaking, I thought it would've been nice while I was in school to have a reporter come to my class and say, "Hey!  You're just like me!  You can do this too!"

I was a cheerleader in high school, on student council, hosted our assemblies and pep rallies, and won a few public speaking awards.  Yet, there was moment that almost made me lose confidence in my future. 

Every student has a school counselor who advises you on your class schedule to prepare you for the next step after graduation.  You can choose to do the minimum to graduate, take the track for junior college or the advanced schedule to attend a 4-year university.  Even though I took all of the appropriate classes for the university track, he recommended I attend a junior college.  I didn't understand why, when I worked so hard and had decent grades?  When I asked him why, he looked at me a little perplexed and exasperated.  I felt small. 

I remember questioning my self-worth.  Shouldn't I want to be the best?  I had always been taught to go for the biggest thing and let the chips fall where they may.  I went home and told my parents what the counselor had told me.  They just rolled their eyes and told me to blow him off.

A few years later, after I had graduated from USC and was producing KNBC's website at 21, I ran into that counselor at a Downey High basketball game.  He congratulated me on my success and I couldn't resist reminding him of the moment that nearly made me lose faith in myself. 

He gave me that same perplexed look. 

I wanted him to know that adults can make or break a child's dreams.  Thank God I had parents who always had faith in me.  What about students who don't have that support system?

I know every bright student in the class I visited at Prisk has the chance to achieve their dreams.  I hope every child in every classroom believes if they have a passion they can go for it.  Try like hell to achieve it and don't let someone else tell you what you should expect of your life.

We had an American Idol style performance.  She sang, Take Me Out To the Ball Game.  The whole class joined in for a sing along.

This little sweetheart played reporter for us!  Bravo!  I wouldn't have had the guts to do that in elementary school.  I was VERY shy. 

She sang Yankee Doodle Dandy.  The whole class joined in.  We had a patriotic moment.  :)

Signing headshots for the lovely students.

My little stars of tomorrow!

Nothing puts me in the mood for the heat like a good old fashioned lemonade stand.

I was driving home from LAX Sunday when I saw this lemonade stand near my home.  I think it's good karma to stop at every kid-run lemonade stand... especially when they're in your neighborhood.  Support your community!  :)

I was tired & grouchy when I spun my car around, but once I drove up, I was met with toothy girly grins asking me whether I wanted, "Sweet or tart?"

What were they raising money for?  They giggled, "No reason!"  They just wanted the experience.  Good enough reason for me. 

By the way, I got the sweet & it was delicious.

26-year-old Danica Patrick is the first female winner in IndyCar history!  She won the Indy Japan 300 with just over two laps to go in the 200 lap race. 

Patrick finished nearly 6 seconds (technically 5.8594 seconds) ahead of pole sitter Helio Castroneves.  Remember when he won Dancing With the Stars?

When she got out of the car, tears were streaming down her face.  The first thing she said to the ESPN interviewer was, "I feel like a wuss crying, but it's been a long time coming. Finally ."   I love that soundbite.  She's always asked... "When are you gonna win?  When are you gonna win?"

It's her 50th career IndyCar start.  50 time's a charm.  I'm so proud.

The last time she took the checkered flag was in 2002, when she won the Professional Division of the 2002 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

One day before I turned 16, my dad took me to an empty lot in Norwalk to teach me how to drive a stick shift.  Before that day, the closest I had come to being behind the wheel was the simulator at Downey High School. 

The simulator was a little booth with a video screen, not unlike other booths I've heard of where you watch questionable videos.   It featured an ancient 60's video featuring surprises like balls popping into the street and children chasing after them.  The best part was the steering wheel about 24 inches in diameter.  It was kind of tough.  I used to imagine it being a big gold lowrider. 

So back to learning to drive.  I imagined sitting comfy inside a big friendly Chevy Impala.  My father put me inside his Mustang 5.0 with the tightest stick shift I've commanded to this day.  Why not a Honda, dad?  You can tap the stick into place.  With the 5.0, I had to grip the stick, and force it to change gears with my noodle arms.  The clutch was no easier.  I got a cramp in my left leg just trying to get it to work without stalling.

Because my dad was a former race car driver, I had a handsome reward once I I learned how to shift gears without stalling.  We drove through puddles, did spin outs and sharp turns.  It's a lesson that haunts me to this day....

When I turned 16, I got 4 speeding tickets and nearly had my license suspended.  I was chasing the thrill I got in that abandoned lot.

I did get that thrill the same year, when a driver slammed on their brakes while I was cruising down Brookshire.  I slammed on mine too (still have never gotten into an accident like that, defensive driving people!)  but forgot one of the tires in back was a donut.  That 5.0 spun around in a 180 so fast, I was facing the driver behind me in a flash.  I was scared, but it was thrilling!  I'll never forget that feeling!

So let's get to the point already, if it hasn't already been humming underneath....

I love fast cars.  I can't sit & watch an entire race on tv, but if you've ever been to one in person, you know what I'm talking about.

I love the rumble of the cars that rattles your bones, the screeching sound of the engines - idling! - that makes my heart race, the elation when the cars whiz by, the thrill when a race car makes a pit stop.

My parents raced in the 60's and 70's at tracks all over SoCal.  They are quick to remind me it was back when you could have an average job & pinch pennies to buy a Sunbeam and even a Porsche.  Nowadays, it takes serious dough for the kind of racing they used to do.

One promising aspect of racing is drifting.  I don't know much about it, but when I did the preview for the Long Beach Grand Prix, they were the cool crowd.  Young,  fun, driving souped up cars that you also see on the street.  From wikipedia, I learned one of the first Drifting competitions was held over a decade ago at Willow Springs Raceway.  My parents used to race there & that's where I attended racing school.

My mother just informed me that she quit racing when she found out she was pregnant with me.  :)  My older brother informed me she often beat my dad in time trials by a second.  A fact my dad doesn't bring up, but I hear from anonymous sources that he's secretly proud.

I really need to take racing lessons again.  Serious ones.  Can't wait.  Go to my album for photos from our LB Grand Prix Preview Day!

Below is a photo of me & Tanner Foust.  He's a drifter who did stunt work in Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift.  He took me for my first ride drifting!

Me & photojournalist Julio Duran having too much fun.

Photojournalist Brett Babcock really wanted to get inside the Indy Car.  So did I.  When we learned the seat was molded to the driver's body, we didn't ask to try it out... darn!

Me and Wilmer Valderrama.  He's so cute and always a gracious interview.

Brett Babcock rode in the pace car & filmed too.  He's a trooper! :)

Julio Duran has the big camera.  He got some great shots!

Mazda unveiled a new Le Mans car.  It's wicked!

Who isn't moved when hearing Dr. King speak?  The closest I've come to him (aside from watching videos and hearing his sermons on the radio) was visiting his birthplace in Atlanta (501 Auburn Avenue).  Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church is just a few blocks away. 

It's a magical place, intimate & old.  The first time I walked in, it felt sacred and special.  When I heard people sing, I felt a part of things, a part of history. 

It's where Martin Luther King Jr. was baptized as a child.  He was ordained a minister - at the tender age of 18! -  after giving a trial sermon to the congregation at Ebenezer.  I'm sure he was a force to be reckoned with even as a teen.  He became copastor with his father in 1960.

Just eight years later, he was killed and his funeral was held there.

I was lucky enough to cover Coretta Scott King's funeral while I was reporting in Atlanta two years ago.  Thousands of people lined the route from the funeral home to Ebenezer.

Just sharing a few moments with you...Do you have any special moments that relate to him? 

Ok, so maybe the title could take us in several directions, but my story today just kills me!.  A pregnant mother-to-be wakes up in the middle of the night complaining of labor pangs.  So it's off to the hospital.  Her husband's cousin offers to drive, daddy-to-be hops in the back seat with her & they are driving to the hospital.

But her pain is so strong, she says - as I'm sure most women in labor say - just get me to the closest hospital!

A moment later, she can feel the baby's head.  Ok, I won't even get graphic here, but I'll say, thank goodness it happened so fast for her.  I can only pray labor is so quick when I have a child.   I've heard some women are in pain for hours just praying for the baby to be born.

Then she announces this to her male passengers - the baby is crowning.   I can only imagine.  (How fun would it have been to be a fly on the wall, gals?  Guys think cramps are bad enough! )

I applaud the men for stepping up.  The cousin pulled over the car and called 911.  Her husband hopped out of the car & helped deliver the baby.  Talk about a real man.  Bravo!!!

I saw the video shortly after baby James was delivered.  When the firefighters took the newborn to an ambulance to clean him up, daddy first watched over his (undoubtedly exhausted) gal as she was wheeled into an ambulance.  Then he went to check on his son & tears were running down his face. 

The image stays with me.  The firefighter asked him if he was dad & he said, "Yes" with such emotion and conviction with that one word, it brings tears to my eyes when I replay it in my head. 

It's moments like these that make my job so precious.  I love a story with such raw emotion and excitement that it makes you appreciate life and human goodness.

I had the chance to meet one woman saved by the firefighter who was killed in the explosion.  Brent Lovrein saved her and two of her coworkers.

Her name is Janet and she just turned 21 a few days ago.  I can hardly call her a woman.  She's a girl who just entered adulthood. :)  

She celebrated with a birthday party this past Saturday, but her most precious gift was recieved yesterday.  A firefighter saved her life, but lost his own.  What a bittersweet series of events.

When I went to meet her at her home this morning, she looked tired, weary, in shock.  Janet took me through the events that happened.  She had heard a boom or bang while she was working.  She went outside and noticed some businesses nearby were closed.  She was on her lunchbreak so she went to Quizno's.  That's when she began to smell gas. 

She was going back to work when she asked firefighter Brent Lovrein what was going on and what to do.  He told her to go back into work and stay inside.  Janet says, he pushed the door closed on her and moments later there was the blast that claimed his life.  She told me all of this in a bit of a haze.  I could see as she spoke, her brain was still working to process it.  (Does a person ever?)

I asked what she was doing before we arrived at her home.  She says she was looking up information on the web about the man who saved her life.  Our cameras rolled as she found Brent Lovrein's photo on the LAFD's news blog.  She whispered she knew those eyes, as her own filled with tears. 

This is when her emotions began to hit her.  She said she felt like an organ recipient.  How an organ donor gives of themselves... something that's impossible to repay back.  It's a bond only normally felt by mothers, fathers and their children. She feels he is connected to her.  Someone who didn't know her made sure she was safe as he risked his own.

May her life - which has really just begun - be lived to the fullest.  May she celebrate his gift of life. 

I would not be where I am today without the help of mentors.  God bless the generous people who have helped me along my way.

I'm know they were busy with their own lives, trying to get their work done when I would ask them questions again and again.

So when my childhood friend Bethany Stirdivant asked if I'd like to be a mentor with The Story Project, I was all about it!  Pay it forward!

Ok, not to get all sappy, but it's true that helping others is so rewarding.  I spent a few hours with a group of the most intelligent, spirited, outspoken, curious and lively kids I believe I've met in a long time.   I've posted some photos of them.

After my brief visit, memories flooded back of all of the senior reporters, producers, teachers and friends who gave me such valuable advice & criticism that I know I would not be where I am today without them.  Here's to mentors!

She works with the Story Project, enlisting creative talent to work with middle and high school students.  Media professionals from the film, television, and music industries inspire literacy by sharing stories while inspiring the kids to share their own.

The goal is to bolster self-esteem and enhance reading and writing skills.  They're working on creating a documentary or music video... they haven't decided which... These kids are going to be superstars! 

Arizona senator John McCain is in the Southland. It's his first visit since securing the Republican nomination.

With all of the attention that Senators Clinton & Obama have been getting, I was surprised to discover the latest Gallup poll shows McCain in the lead. Maybe it's because Democrats' votes are split, there are several ways of breaking it down, but he just hasn't been in the news as much, so he's been kind of flying under the radar. (It's raining McCain! Have you seen that video yet? Once is enough, ha)

Senator McCain will be making a big push to promote his public image in just a few days. It's called the Service For America Tour. He'll be traveling to Virginia, where he went to high school and then to Florida where he trained as a Navy pilot.

Ok, enough of that, Let's get to the good stuff. The controversial stuff! The Iraq war.

I'm sure just reading that brings up a flurry of emotions one way or another. , Maybe both ways, which can be more frustrating at times.

Warning: another poll here. Don't shoot the messenger! Gallup found that regarding the war, American voters view McCain as the candidate most capable of handling the situation in Iraq.

54 to 40 percent over both Obama & Clinton! What do you think?

I'm posting this on Good Friday.  Spring is also here! It's also the second day of the Persian New Year.  So many changes.. the weather is warmer as well.  Don't you just feel different?  I feel great. 

The Persian New Year is called Norooz - meaning the dawn of a new day. Yesterday, I spent the first day of Norooz with a lovely family. They patiently taught me the traditions and rituals of the holiday.

Families normally spend 13 days making the rounds to homes of loved ones, visiting, sampling tiny delicious Persian pastries and drinking endless cups of Persian tea.

Here in LA, families don't have that luxury, so it's shorter, but just as special. My favorite part was talking to the family's daughter, Pegah Ebrahimi. She is independent, vivavious and being girls, we gossiped about current fashions.

In Tehran, women are supposed to wear head scarves and cover their bodies. I learned young women are pushing the boundaries by wearing just a scrap of flimsy scarves - often with cutouts. Their hair is often dyed, ratted & spiked into wild bouffants, outrageous makeup. Tight pants tucked into boots.... I love it!  Go ladies!  Way to fight back against suppression.

My favorite part of the holiday - aside from the goodies - was the Haft Sin table.

It's set with seven dishes on display.

sprouts : symbolizing rebirth

wheat germ pudding : symbolizing affluence

senjed, which is fruit from an oleaster tree : symbolizing love

garlic : symbolizing medicine

apples : symbolizing beauty and health

sumac berries : symbolizing (the color of) sunrise

vinegar : symbolizing age and patience

Happy spring holidays! :)  Happy Easter too!