I'm all for this Royal Wedding.

Granted, I'm not going to stay up or wake up to watch The Royal Wedding at 3 a.m. Pacific time this Friday morning, but I probably will watch a couple clips, read a bunch of articles, and find as many pictures as I can afterward. I feel like I should be more cynical about Wills and Kate, like Mark Oppenheimer of Slate.com clearly is, but I'm just not. You know why?

I like princesses.

Usually, that's followed by "And ponies!" and a flutter of pink taffeta and glitter. But I never really got into horses - except when they made me some money at the track. I asked my parents to paint my bedroom pink when I was 6 and then pretty much regretted it as soon as the last coat went on the walls. And my experience with glitter was mostly limited to school projects during the holidays. Hey kids, let's give your parents a tree made out of glue and glitter for Christmas and a heart made out of glue and glitter for Valentine's Day. Every suburban carpet must be sprinkled with about a pound of glitter that vacuums couldn't get to.

So why does this self-professed non-girly girl feel slightly giddy at the mention of a mere (rich) commoner like Kate Middleton falling in love (let's hope) with Prince William of England? I grew up on Disney movies, like most Americans. What little girl doesn't like the idea of finding her true love someday, getting swept off her feet, and living a life of luxury with fabulous clothes and perfect hair? Some of my earliest, significant memories are of Disney movies. The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Cinderella. When I got the chicken pox, my mom gave me The Little Mermaid on VHS (yes, the one with the "penis" on the cover) while I was soaking in my Aveeno oatmeal bath. I still remember how excited I was to own The Little Mermaid - on home video!

Little American girls don't have regal women to look up to. We just have Hillary Clinton and Oprah (not in that particular order). Sigh. Ho-hum. They don't even have hundreds-of-years-old jewelry and gowns passed down to them from generations of sparkly queens. They have to go out and BUY stuff. What fun is that? Sure, I'll take a representative democracy over a monarchy any day, but as Stephen Colbert says, "Where's the zazz?"

So, count me in as openly rooting for Wills and Kate. The British Royal Family could really use a fresh face to break up all the...not-as-fresh faces. And they do seem like they are each others' true love. Most importantly, though, Kate gets all that STUFF. And she already has perfect hair.

Appreciating the Little Things for About Half an Hour

After work today, I went to the post office to buy stamps, and I was able to find a spot with a slightly pre-paid parking meter (i.e. someone had been there and left sooner than they thought they would). Sweet.

Then, after much deliberation and inner turmoil, I decided to get a Slurpee at 7-Eleven. Hey, it's getting warmer out, and I enjoy sugary syrup mixed with crushed ice. The particular 7-Eleven I chose to go to happens to be next to the YMCA of which I am a member. Purchasing a Slurpee in the shadow of the gym I haven't been to in over a month takes guts, or really, just a gut. I marched in, picked out a large cup and lid, and saw that Sugar Free Crystal Light Strawberry Banana was one of the Slurpee choices.

Did you know they had SUGAR FREE Slurpees?

Where were these when I was 13, a.k.a. the age I was officially allowed to go to convenience stores on my own and purchase whatever sugary crap I wanted with my "own money" (read: allowance)? That was my prime sweet-tooth-development time, and I wish I had access to Sugar Free Slurpees to lessen the insane calorie intake. Although, back then, I probably would have compensated for the lost calories with another pack of Snowballs and a Surge for later.

I left 7-Eleven sipping on my 4-calorie drink, and as I was pulling out of the driveway, a long line of 4-year-olds wearing oversized, matching, neon green T-shirts crossed the street in front of me with the help of their chaperones. And they were all holding hands. I pretty much stopped breathing from all the cuteness.

I'd say that's a pretty good half-hour.

I May or May Not Be Frightened by a Supermarket

Here's a "So LA" story for you. I had to make my daily supermarket run for work this morning, and as I pulled up to the Henry's Farmers' Market in Burbank, I saw about five 15-passenger vans, some Star Waggons trailers, and black curtains over the windows. My first thought was not, "Ooo, what are they filming here?" or "OMG, maybe I'll be in a shot!" It was "Uggggh, I just wanna buy some food and get back to the office!"

Just another day at Henry's Farmers' Market.

Luckily, they were still setting up, so I did manage to get food and get out. In case you were wondering, they were filming "Private Practice" there, but I didn't see anyone besides crew members. Taye Diggs must have been hanging out in his Star Waggon.

After work, I decided to go to Whole Foods for the first time in search of dairy-free mac and cheese in a box. Whole Foods is an intense place full of allergen-free food and environmental propaganda. It's trying to go for the wood-and-chalkboard charm of Trader Joe's without the jaunty nautical theme. At Trader's, there are signs that encourage you to use their reusable bags by asking, "Did you remember your bag today?" or "Would you like to buy a reusable bag today? They're only a dollar!" At Whole Foods, there's a giant chalkboard outside that blares, "SAVE THE EARTH! Bring your own bag!" Ok! Relax. They're saying it like that's the only Earth-saving option. Although, if it is, I guess I should probably get around to doing it. It is cheaper than buying a hybrid.

Inside, I saw a family of progressive-looking gingers in the cracker aisle, picking out healthy snacks. The teenage boy ginger was helming the shopping cart and glanced at me, wordlessly informing me that 1. he couldn't believe his entire family was shopping at Whole Foods either, and 2. he was actively ignoring the teachable moment his mom was trying to turn this trip into.

I didn't know my way around this new-fangled supermarket, and at one point, I came to the end of an aisle and looked both ways before crossing, as if crossing the street I grew up on for the first time. I did manage to find the dairy-free mac-and-cheese in a box I was looking for, along with some coconut milk ice cream I'm also looking forward to and some "Eggless Tofu Salad" which I picked up for a second, smirked at, and put back immediately. At the checkout, the cashier asked me if I wanted a freezer bag for my ice cream. I said no and then had to ask, "A freezer bag? What does that even look like?" The cashier picked up a smaller paper bag that said something like "For keeping cool" on it and said, "You know, sometimes people buy ice cream and go on long trips." So, apparently, Whole Foods has enchanted paper bags, too.

Hopefully, I like the dairy-free stuff I picked up. If I do, I'm going back to Whole Foods - with a tour guide.