Lisa Burks Online

This Day in History, 1961

Throughout her pregnancy with me, Mom had a gut instinct, so to speak, that I was going to be a boy.  That was the first in a long line of miscommunications between us over the years.

So when I appeared sans penis on this date in 1961, my parents had to go back to the drawing board and figure out a new name for me, because the one they had pre-chosen, Roger Allen, just wasn't going to cut it.

They finally settled on Lisa Ann, to the horror of my maternal grandmother and her sister, devout viewers of "As The World Turns," who asked my mother how she could name me after "that Lisa," the resident bitch of Oakdale.

Mom swears to this day that she just liked the sound of it and in no way was it a payback for not being born a boy.

Family legend has it that Dad was so happy about having a little girl (after the still birth of my sister Carol, and my healthy brother Greg) that he went out to celebrate with buddies and got drunk.  I'm thinking maybe I scared the crap out of him with my baby stink-eye routine:


"Be careful what you wish for, Daddy!"

This first official portrait, taken in the ayem after my evening birth, is a clear illustration of how, to this day, without eight hours of sleep, I'm the world's worst morning person.

Thanks to my paternal grandmother's diaries, I have this additional record of my birth:



What she doesn't write, perhaps because she didn't know, was that Mom went to the hospital at 7:00 p.m. because she insisted on waiting to get the weather report from Sonny Eliot on the 6 O'Clock News. (Low 34°F, high 59°F.)

My friend Robyn suggested to me that when I talk to Mom today I should remember to thank her for having sex with Dad in the summer of 1960 so that I could be born the following May.  That would be an interesting twist that would probably make her laugh and blush.  I usually thank her for not dying in the proccess.

It wasn't until years later that she told me of the complications associated with my birth, that she had issues with fever and massive bleeding.  According to Gram's diary, she remained in the hospital for 10 days after I was born. Brave woman that she is, she went on to have one more baby after me, my sissy Laura.  Kudos, Mom!

As I've gotten older I think about this on my birthday and it always gives me positive perspective on the "Ugh, I'm another year older," mentality, especially now that I'm 16 years older than Mom, now nearly 78, was when she had me.  Every year above ground is a good one, for both of us.

Smiles, everyone, smiles!

Back in 1978, celebrity guest stars began landing via sea plane on television's "Fantasy Island," heralded by Tattoo's famous "da plane, da plane!" bell ringing and their characters shelled out $50k a pop for their visit.

Earlier this month, my good buddy Scott Michaels and I arrived there by car, it didn't cost us a dime and lacked fanfare, tropical drinks, Mr. Roark and Tattoo to greet us but it was exciting anyway.



Many of the exterior scenes of "Fantasy Island" were filmed at the historic Queen Anne Cottage at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden and the sea plane "landed" on the surrounding lake. 



For someone who thought she's seen it all in Los Angeles, this was a real treat. I had no idea the house was there, so big huge thanks to Scott for taking me on a real day "trip" back in time.

More pix from our visit (plus screen caps from the "Fantasy Island" pilot as well as snaps from Mountain View Cemetery that day) are available for viewing at Flickr.

Pink Power!

Update: Congratulations, Ali - Biggest Loser's first female winner!  Visit their new blog, Go Pink Team.

I'm a huge fan of NBC's reality series, The Biggest Loser, because I'm interested in health and fitness, and it's very inspiring to see contestants literally change their bodies and their lives before our eyes.

This season, it's fifth, has been the most compelling, with women losing weight, kicking butt and taking names. A real nail biter. The top two finalists, Ali and Kelly, will compete against one of two men from the top four, as voted on by viewers.  Nice twist, NBC.

I'm rooting for Ali for several reasons.  First of all, she has had a positive attitude from day one, even when the chips were down and she had issues with her Pink Team partner and mom, Bette-Sue.

I relate to Ali when she talks about coming to the realization that she has hidden behind her weight and how she came into more confidence as it began to come off.  She looked beautiful in the make-over episode and I could relate to her saying that she never imagined having that dress as part of her wardrobe prior to that point.  She has blossomed in many directions, and it's been a joy to watch.

She also gained my respect when she came back after being voted off and earned the right to rejoin the show by keeping with her program off-campus.  And once back on campus, she seemed completely focused without hardening her charming personality, always being a supportive , yet competitive, team player while never losing sight of her own goals.

I also love how she never stopped representing Team Pink.  I've started wearing my pink gym wear in support and you know what, pink is pretty and feminine but it's also fierce in a fun way. It's been the theme of my website for years, however, never during my heaviest days did I dare to wear pink.  It's a big part of my wardrobe now, and I love it.

So here's to Pink Power tomorrow night, when Ali just may become the first female Biggest Loser.  Nothing against Kelly, who frankly bugged me during most of the season because of her negativity and whining.  I'd be just as happy to see her become the first to represent our gender, but I think Ali is the one that has what it will take to come out on top, and I believe she deserves the title.

Want more info about Ali?  Check out her personal MySpace page, which is currently being maintained by a friend as she continues to train.

Photos courtesy of Ali Vincent and NBC Universal Television.

Palm Drive

Seven palm trees were planted today in Burbank, near the interesection of Buena Vista and Burbank Blvds. as part of the upgrade work being done along this corridor.

I snapped this photo of work crews during my lunch hour.  To see more images, visit my Flickr album.

Ani A.P.B.

A precious member of our family has been missing since September 19th - this is an urgent all points bulletin!

Our Ani is a 1.5-year-old, black/white, domestic longhair cat - here is a recent photo, taken on her one-year adoptiversary with one of her favorite toys, a SLC keychain from Auntie Fifi:

Ani was last seen in Burbank, Calif., at her home on Lincoln St. near Victory Blvd. and Buena Vista St.  She was wearing a flea collar with no ID tag at the time.

More identifying photos of Ani are available at Flickr.com

We have been diligently searching for her by walking the area calling for her, checking the shelters, pet hospitals and local vet offices, distributing flyers to neighbors and local businesses.  I can't tell you how kind and supportive everyone has been during the search - thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Ani knows her backyard well, and the general vicinity, but may have been disoriented during the recent rains.  She is a human-friendly cat, and we believe that an animal-loving good samaritan may have taken her in, and thinking she was a stray, decided to keep her.

But she does have a home, with us, and we love and miss her very much.

We are offering a reward. Please contact me at (818) 288-3380 or via email at lisaburksonline@yahoo.com if you have any information that will help us bring Ani home where she belongs.

Thank you for your assistance!

Update 3/17/2008 ~ Sadly, Ani has not returned home as of this update.  Wherever she is, I hope that she's safe and happy.  As the months have gone by, hope has dwindled but we still love her and would love to be reunited.  Please, if you have any information about her whereabouts, contact me at the information listed above.  Thank you.

Some days are more unusual than others

Today started with an earthquake and ended with a murder-suicide.

In between, I got my hair cut.

Last night, unable to settle in to sleep, I was up and working on my fourth of ten Toastmaster Competent Communicator certification speeches.   I'm currently our club's VP of Education which entails guiding everyone toward attain their certification goals.  Yet, I haven't been focusing on attaining my own in recent months, oops.

Anyway, at 12:58 a.m. I heard the walls of my 1947 bungalow-type apartment begin to creak and moan.  Turning on the radio, I learned that a 4.5 magnitude quake had just rumbled through the Chatsworth area. 

I didn't feel anything, and there were no tell tale signs like blinds moving or lamp cords swaying.  Just my little pad, groaning like someone was trying to shake it awake.

Memories of Northridge over a decade ago urged me to sleep in my street clothes, just in case.  The rest of the evening was uneventful.

After work I decided to stop and get my hair cut, unruly curls trimmed into submission or at least some sort of short style for the hot summer months. 

Argit, my current glamour technician, slapped some kind of "product" (marketing speak for goop) called Bed Head on the 'do when it was done.  Did I want to buy some?  No, thanks.  I can apparently accomplish the exact same look, effortlessly and for free, after eight hours of sleep. 

On my way home I discovered that my neighborhood was blocked off by police cars, officers and barricades.  Apparently an hour before someone had gone on a shooting spree in an apartment complex one street over from my place, just across the alley to be exact.

It took me a while to get home, and along the way I collected some sights and sounds to write about for valleynews.com, and tonight before hitting the hay, filed a first-person story there on the Burbank hub.

Additional news coverage of the shooting: Burbank Leader, LA Daily News, LA Daily News blogs It's A Crime and East of the 5, LA Times/Associated Press, KCAL9/CBS2, KTTV Fox 11, KNBC4, KABC7.

Some days are more unusual than others.

I'd like to say this 30 minutes ahead of schedule tonight: TGIF!