Editors Note: I’ve been trying to meet Non Society‘s Julia Allison for some time now. For our readers not familiar with Julia, she has been everything from a dating columnist, to a TV pundit and even a Wired Magazine cover girl. She is one of the more unique examples of this new new media world. This was my experience.
I’m sitting in a restaurant on the west side of Los Angeles called the California Chicken Cafe. It’s awful, I just know she is going to hate it.
Given the last minute arrangement of our meeting, her location and many pending appointments, it was the best I could whip up. I nervously wait while the patrons around me proceed to gnaw on various chicken bones. I’m pretty sure she’s a vegetarian. She is really going to hate this place.
My iPhone dings, it’s her texting while driving one of those eco friendly Smart Cars. Loaned to her for the week, this is just one of the many perks of being Julia. I go to meet her at the street, anything to get out of this cafe. I see her right away, holding up traffic as she slowly makes her way down Westwood Blvd.
She pulls up the curb, smiles and waves. She has the sunroof open, through it I get my first good glance at Julia Allison. Immediately I can’t help but notice how hot her body is. I say that not to be crude, but because it’s something that is often critiqued online. As I get an even closer look, I can tell you the only thing turning me off about Julia is her inability to park. Everything else is quite nice.
We go inside, and sure enough Julia hates the place. She apologizes about being such a snob, not realizing I’m one too. We see another restaurant across the street and decide to check it out. Julia leads and walks right out into traffic, gracefully floating across the street. I remind her this isn’t New York and that Los Angeles drivers tend to not stop for pedestrians. She laughs it off as we enter the next place. It’s even worse, Julia barely makes it through the door before turning around.
This wasn’t going well at all.
I need to get her to Westwood proper, I need somewhere with overpriced parking and food stat. We squeeze into the Smart Car and head up the street, finally getting a chance to really chat. Julia has a lot to say, I don’t mind. I’m getting a chance really understand her, beyond the hokey videos and reblogging.
As we locate a nice cafe, Julia has some trouble parking once again. I guess that’s OK though. After all, Julia doesn’t stand still very often, let alone park. We find a table outside where she agrees to a quick informal interview before she dashes off to her next adventure.
Thanks Julia, for taking the time to chat with me. Next time, I’ll find a better place to dine. I’ll even make reservations.
(Photos by Julia Allison)
