It’s the end of another month, and when I look back it’s hard to believe how much happened in these last four weeks. I returned to Los Angeles, caught up with dozens of friends, dined at favorite restaurants, sat in the audience of a talk show, spent time at the beach, turned 30, and drank SO MUCH COFFEE.

All of this reminds me that…

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On March 1st I moved into a room (month-to-month sublet) in an apartment near my old neighborhood in North Hollywood. It came furnished so I just grabbed bedding and towels from my storage unit and unpacked everything in five minutes. Easiest move-in ever.

I watched the Academy Awards with friends Allison and Jenny. Jenny made this rice crispy treat Oscar statue! He was delicious.

And a good friend from high school works on The Queen Latifah Show. She invited me to see a taping… Deidre Hall — one of my favorite soap stars growing up — was a guest. This was such a trip down memory lane!

In addition to Deidre Hall, other guests included legendary actor Robert Wagner, celeb hairstylist Ken Paves, and iPhone musician Curtis Fields. The show aired on March 27th.

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Queen Latifah takes selfies with audience members at each show. I’m sort of in this one:

And in a move that will surprise no one, I’ve caught up on theater since returning to LA.

I saw the new Christopher Durang play Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike — which won the Tony for Best Play last year — at the Mark Taper Forum in downtown LA. It’s a comedy about middle aged siblings reuniting at their family farmhouse with threads of various Chekhov plays woven in. Lots of funny and poignant moments.

The Taper run has since ended, but it’s a popular choice for regional theaters this season so odds are you can catch it somewhere near you (for my Connecticut friends, it’s running at Hartford Stage in May and June).

I also saw Slowgirl at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood (running through April 27th). It’s excellent. They have a talkback with the cast and director every Tuesday night; it’s a great way to cap off the performance. This show is a two-hander about an uncle and niece catching up in Costa Rica; they are each running away from something and help the other confront it. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen a show on a tennis court-style stage. It’s intimate and moving and I’m still thinking about it days later.

Oh, and I tried the lottery for Book of Mormon at the Pantages and lost. But they have a stand-by line for $45 tickets — still a great price. Get down there 2.5 hours before showtime to put your name in the lottery and get in the stand-by line! The tour is running through May 11th before moving on to the next city.

Here are some iPhone shots from gatherings with friends…

Allison and I indulged in deep dish pizza and bread pudding at Masa in Echo Park. I’d eat this every night if it wouldn’t make me weigh 500 lbs and induce a heart attack.

My sister and I dined on sushi at Octopus, our long-time favorite sushi place.

My friend Kelley and I (and her adorable daughter Adele — look at those pigtails!) tried gourmet popsicles at Suck It in Studio City.

I picked the Apple Pie a la Mode… delicious.

Here’s another cute photo of Adele. Kelley and I have had a few movie / TV nights (watching Sherlock, Veep and this fun flick) and it is such a joy to spend time with her, Irving, and Adele!

I went for a hike with my college buddy Mike and his playful puppy Archer. These photos are from Mandeville Canyon in Brentwood.

And I’ve had SO MUCH COFFEE.

The photos above and below were taken at Romancing the Bean in Burbank. They even have ice cubes made of coffee — genius! — and their March latte of the month is a mocha mint creation that is to die for.

Another favorite spot is Sweetsalt in Toluca Lake. I’ve sampled their vanilla lavender latte and mocha coconut latte; both are excellent. I have yet to try their sweets, but I’m sure my resolve will weaken… look at these beauties:

Priscilla’s in Toluca Lake remains my number-one coffee shop. I love the laid-back vibe and their iced lattes are fantastic — the vanilla hazelnut spiced latte is currently my jam.

Here’s a sunset shot during one of many walks in Toluca Lake:

Shots of dinner at Bob’s Big Boy and Vicious Dogs:

I’ve also spent time around North Hollywood, my ‘hood.

Republic of Pie in the NoHo Arts District is a sweet spot… literally and figuratively. I have yet to try the pie, but they have a dulce latte that is delightful.

Lunch at Village Pizzeria on Larchmont:

Shots taken while visiting Emerson College’s new Los Angeles center. It’s quite an impressive structure. I went on a tour with Kelley & Irving and then returned for a comedy panel with my sister.

I also attended a Director’s Guild meeting — I’ve missed those folks! — and returned to CBS / the Grove to visit Young & Restless co-workers. It was so sweet to reunite with them.

A large group of friends gathered together to watch the Kickstarter-funded Veronica Mars Movie on opening night. And guess who was hanging outside the theater? Jason Dohring, the male lead. I had the biggest crush on him circa 2005 and it was such a trip to meet him. He’s incredibly nice and took photos with everyone who asked, and was genuinely touched when I told him we were long-time fans.

Here he is with our friends, which includes two sets of identical twins — Marisa & Janee and Yaz & Naz — plus me, Allison, and Jenny in the last photo.

A manager at the movie theater (AMC Universal) came out and begged him to say hello to the 10:15p screening (ours!). The guy who played the principal on Veronica Mars was there too, so perhaps they’d just come from a publicity event. It was nice of them to pop in and say hello to a theater full of surprised fans. As someone in our group said, the lead actor should always be at the theater when you see a movie! What a fun night.

UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) is my favorite comedy venue in Los Angeles, and it was a thrill to return here after a year’s absence. My sister and I saw our favorite comedy duo Ronna & Beverly perform here last Friday night.

Ronna & Beverly heckled Humphrey Ker and Paget Brewster. It’s fun to watch their guests squirm as they fire off nosy questions and occasional insults.

This past Saturday I saw the new movie Divergent at the DGA with friends Allison and Amanda. You may recall that last month I read the whole trilogy and thoroughly enjoyed it; I’m happy to report that the movie lives up to expectations (unlike the first Hunger Games movie; don’t get me started).

Afterwards we grabbed dinner at 9021pho (how pho-ny!) and then headed to the new Sprinkles ice cream store in Beverly Hills. They’re known for cupcakes, now they’ve added ice cream… and you can mix the two.

Sadly I was all cupcaked out (see the incredible s’mores cupcakes I devoured last week for my birthday), but that didn’t stop me from admiring my friends’ orders. Allison got peanut butter cup ice cream with two mini cupcakes since they were out of the regular size flavor she likes. Amanda got the traditional cupcake sundae though, on the right below, with rocky road ice cream.

I read two books this month: Cheryl Strayed’s advice column compilation Tiny Beautiful Things and Wally Lamb’s family saga We Are Water. I loved both.

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And I’ve already told you about these places / events, but they were a big part of my month so I’ll mention them here:

Palos Verdes Redux

I return to the fascinating tide pools at Abalone Cove in Palos Verdes. Sunshine, surf, and starfish… so glad to be back in California!

Day of Luxury at Terranea

We visit Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes for a spa day and one of the best dinners of my life. Confession: I cannot be trusted at buffets.

Three Cheers for Thirty

I turned 30 last weekend and celebrated with THREE parties, a spa day, and too many cupcakes to count. Check out these photos of my nearest and dearest helping me enter a new decade.

Whew, it’s been a month to remember. Thanks to all my LA friends for the memories!!