Life Under the Hollywood Sign

Whee! Earthquake!

2008-07-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Wow. At 11:42 this morning, I experienced my first "real" earthquake, complete with aftershocks and everything. I was on the phone at my office when all of a sudden I noticed that the walls of my office were swaying! Very strange. The last one I was in was a 2. something or another, but this one was a 5.8. I'm very glad it wasn't close as that would have been terribly intense and this was certainly enough!

To those who haven't been in an earthquake, it's sort of like waking up on a roller coaster ride. As you come to, you start to realize, hey is this thing moving? Yes? Oh no! Then you hold on for dear life, or in this case, get the heck away from the giant bookshelves. The scariest part is you don't really know what's going to happen next, so it's best to be safe!

Games for Kids

2008-07-02T11:06:00.001-07:00

Many of you know that I support an organization known as Child's Play. The charity donates games and consoles to children in hospitals. I know when I have a mere cold, I love playing games because it takes my mind off being sick. These kids have to deal with that reality every day, which is why I donate the titles I don't want or need.

It looks like Nintendo is jumping on board too, as they recently donated "Fun Centers" to hospitals all over the country: http://laist.com/2008/07/01/wii_fun_centers_at_childrens_hospit.php

Recently, a couple of friends embarked on a Mario Marathon where they played through all of the Super Mario titles over a period of a few days. They raised $10K for Child's Play and it sparked my interest to do a marathon of my own with friends. Any thoughts on what titles we could play or a theme we could focus on?

xo
Hollywood

Hilarious

2008-06-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

A moment from the reunion. And yes, I'm a ham.

Nowhere Like Home

2008-06-10T16:59:00.001-07:00

I already miss Detroit.

For many of you, that might be a strange statement - missing a city that is so maligned, so badly publicized, a city that to many, must seem like a wasteland. Yet for me, the area holds so many memories and still is home to many close friends that when S and drove back to the airport early Sunday morning, I was choking back tears.

The weekend was fantastic, but a bit of a blur. S and I arrived early (around 5:30am) Thursday morning and after a much-needed nap, took the day to wander around some of my favorite parts of Royal Oak, Birmingham, as well as some of my old neighborhoods. Though, much to my dismay Royal Oak is morphing into a slightly less well-kept version of Birmingham, it appears that Ferndale is starting to attract the crowds and businesses that made the city so cool when I was growing up. I did, however, fall in love with a pair of shoes that I snagged (and a pair, that sadly, didn't fit) and coveted but much too expensive Red Wings tank-style shirt made by RetroSport.

That night, after a delicious dinner (including my favorite, spedini, and some tastings of grappa and lemoncello - interesting but not my thing) at Maria's (a must-visit Italian spot if you are in the Detroit area), I got to see my good friend H and PB, one of my best friends growing up who I hadn't seen in four years. It was a real treat - and a surprise, considering the dreads he'd had since ninth grade were gone! We were out until the wee hours of the night, drinking and talking, and catching up.

The next morning, we attempted to wake up early to go downtown. We ended up missing the Red Wings parade (who schedules a parade for 11am? Ridiculous!) but were able to ride the People Mover, visit Greektown (Opa!), and see many of the fabulous art deco buildings in the area. After about five minutes, I stopped counting how many times S said "Oh my god" in awe. Though, I will have to agree, the outbursts were deserved.

That night was devoted to the cocktail party for my ten year high school reunion. It was surreal. There were people I hadn't spoken to in ages who I had lost touch with and that it was wonderful to see, then there were others who I never had anything to say to in high school and still had about that much to talk to them about. Near the end of it, it started to pour. I loved it, as there are so few thunderstorms in Los Angeles, and the storms in Detroit are powerful and romantic. That night we grabbed a small bite to eat at a coney island...though I'm still kicking myself a bit for not going to Dick o'Dowd's where apparently Lidstrom brought the cup!!!

The next day was devoted to visiting my old school, and for anyone who has been there, it takes some time to trek the many many acres. I think S really enjoyed it though, as I was able to show him all the little nooks and crannies that I knew from going there since I was very little. I even nearly got him with the Weeping Zeus! Hehe.

The old class (well, a quarter of it, at least):

Having fun

We're still teenagers at heart :)

That night, after the reunion dinner, we went to O'Dowd's for a drink (no Lidstrom, sadly) with friends then back to Ferndale to meet up with the same crew and stayed until the wee hours of the morning and H brought out some old photos that were hilarious!

I didn't want to leave, as it was my last night with them, but we had a plane to catch early the next day to go to my friend JD's wedding in New York.

I'll say this about the wedding. I don't cry at weddings. But at theirs, I had to keep wiping away the tears. So, thank goodness, later, there was plenty of dancing (their first song was to James Brown's "Sex Machine" - um, awesome) and fun.

In the morning, before we had to head to the city for our flight, S and I took a tour around Sleepy Hollow in the 95 degree heat (oof), and despite not much help from the locals (except for an extremely knowledgeable, helpful historian at the cemetery), found the headless horseman's bridge, as well as many notable graves and locations from the spooky novel.

Knocked Up

2008-05-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Today I had a checkup at my lady doctor, and the couches in those offices, in case you've never been to one, are packed with women eating for two. There's the occasional husband/boyfriend/baby daddy there too, but usually it's just the ladies. But this morning nearly every woman was accompanied by her male counterpart.

And, while most of the men were doting on the ladies carrying what was likely their child, sitting across from me was a couple where the guy looked positively absolutely beyond uncomfortable. Instead of assisting his super pregnant wife with anything (water, a hand to help her get up, anything) or being affectionate with her, he just sat there looking nervous with his hands squished between his knees, dodging any and all eye contact, be it with her or anyone else. Even when she picked up a magazine and tried to engage him in conversation, he merely mumbled out a comment here or there. I seriously wanted to shake this dude and tell him it's about time he grew a pair.

If I'm ever in the position of being preggers, I certainly hope that my significant other will be a little more on the ball - and much sweeter - than this wet blanket.

Lovely Weekend

2008-05-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure what was best about this weekend. Was it getting to see my friend Paul (who now lives in New York) read from his upcoming book of poetry, interview Justin Theroux about writing the screenplay for Tropic Thunder (among countless other things), or enjoying the super hot curry that S made from scratch for us and that we're having again tonight, prompting a run to the store for more milk. The recipe called for 1/2 tsp of haberno and he put in a "generous" 1/2 tsp. Zowie!

Also this weekend, S's roommate D graduated from LMU with his teaching doctorate so I'm sure there will be plenty of corny "Is there a doctor in the house" jokes for the next few weeks!

It was a lovely, somewhat lazy, weekend indeed.

Getting Crazy in Wine Country

2008-05-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a fun couple days. Ok, well, perhaps except for yesterday when I was stuck at jury duty all day and nearly ended up on a three-week civil trial regarding law malpractice. Snore.

This past weekend was S and mine's one year anniversary. On Friday night, he whipped us up a delicious meal of paella, mushroom caps stuffed with mushrooms and pancetta, and a light salad. Yum. We also shared a fabulous French wine while watching Sideways, a tongue-in-cheek film about the snobbiness of wine culture and how what happens in wine country stays in wine country.

On Saturday, we woke up early, piled into the car with all of the camping equipment, and headed off for Santa Barbara, or to be more specific, Cachuma Lake. We arrived in time to get a great spot (or, what we thought was a great spot until around 5 am when drunken campers started wandering through our site on the way to the bathroom which resulted in a completely freaked out Hollywood.) and made a savory lunch of sandwiches, brie, hummus, and blackberries. Mmm. Then, we hit the wineries.

First was Zaca Mesa, a quaint little winery that holds its tastings inside a farmhouse. I definitely got a few looks because of the dress I was wearing (hey, gotta dress up for special occassions, right?) but the wines were nice. Much better than those at Firestone, where we ventured next.

Firestone, from what I gathered, is pretty much the McDonalds of wine. Ok, it's not that bad, but it's definitely corporate (It was built by the Firestone tire guys after all) and they have it down to a science. We got a free tour of the winery and got to check out how they make the wine as well as the oak barrels they store it in. These are the large vats for the white wine.

Naturally, I asked plenty of questions, none of which I received satisfactory answers to, but perhaps I will search the answers out at a later time. The one I'm most curious about (though by no means obsessing over) is: If you're in the same area, why does wine made from one set of grapes (say merlot) give you a much different taste than another winery's stock also made from merlot grapes?

However, though the woman giving the tour was not the nicest I've yet to encounter, the woman giving us the tasting was very pleasant, and S surprised me with a bottle of their Sauvingon Blanc clone on the way out. :)

Before heading back to camp, we visited Solvang, the cute little Norwegian-style town nearby. After browsing the local Christmas shop (where I wanted to purchase some ornament gifts but ended up only with an unbelievably cute pufferfish for my own tree), we embarked on one more wine tasting. I was already quite tipsy by this time, but I wasn't driving and the wine store had olives you could taste with the wines. And boy, do I love olives.

Finally, after the last tasting, of which S treated me to another bottle of wine and some fabulous olives stuffed with jalepeno and blue cheese, we went back and made tacos for dinner. I fell asleep pretty early as it was chilly and I really wanted to cozy up inside the sleeping bag.

The next day we went on a short hike to a lovely little waterfall just outside Solvang and fed ostriches and stared at emus at an Ostrich farm in the area. They're crazy-looking up close but quite cute, in an ugly sort of way. There is plenty of land there for them where they can run free. On the way back from the hike, S and snapped some photos in the middle of a wheat field and he let me drive stick until we reached the highway. I must say, I think I did a nice job.

On the way home, we stopped off for one more drink at Saints and Sinners, a favorite watering hole of ours, and sipped on maragaritas and beers during their Heavy Metal happy hour. We also got $1 sharpie tattoos from one of the other barflies to support their friend's chemo. I had the words "knit" and "purl" inscribed on my wrists, and S had, well, take a look:

Oh, and, for the record, Iron Man was awesome.

The Moment

2008-05-01T12:21:00.001-07:00

One of the biggest things I've realized I want to work on, personally, is my inability to live in the moment. I excel at living in the past, or in the present, but no so much in the right here, right now. Does anyone have any suggestions on how one might accomplish such a feat? What do you do to stop thinking about everything except what is right in front of you?

In other news, I've recently dyed my hair (or, I suppose, to be more accurate), had it done, but the lovely Bo Mattie at Saints Studio in Santa Monica. She's really quite fabulous, and dyed it to a super dark brown with bright red highlights. Hopefully, there will be photos soon.

Iron This!

2008-04-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight I'm going to see Iron Man with a friend of mine up in Hollywood. I've been going to quite a few screenings lately, which is both awesomely fun (no ads, no $10 tickets, getting to take my friends to fun movies before they're out in theaters...) and time consuming. It reminds me of my days as a movie reviewer and how I used to really start to resent going out a couple times a week to see films.

Thus, I'm trying to only see films that I really want to see! For example, last week was Baby Mama and Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. Both were capital-A awesome. And tonight is Iron Man. Ever since I saw the first awesome preview, I have been looking forward to this film, and my friend Z even contributed a piece to it, making it that much cooler. Despite Robert Downey Jr.'s past mishaps, I've always enjoyed watching him onscreen, except well, maybe in Threesome. That was pretty terrible. But he made up for it with Wonder Boys, which was fabulous.

So here's to Iron Man not sucking all the air out of the room like a little film called Spider-Man 3 did.

Aww

2008-02-11T17:22:00.000-08:00

Atari is adorable.

But also trouble.

Golly Gee

2008-02-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

I've been awfully miserable about updating the blog, so sorry about that. Things have been a bit hectic as of late.

This past weekend was a blast. On Saturday, S and I woke up ridiculously early (6:45am) and took a nice early morning stroll down to the Sidewalk Cafe on Venice beach for brunch. We'd passed it quite a few times, but had never ventured to try it, so we figured that day was as good as any. The food was good - if S's Huevos Rancheros didn't have eggs in them I would have totally attempted to convince him to trade me for my pancakes (which were also good) - but the people watching was the best part since there are always a ton of interesting characters on the boardwalk.

Later that night we met up with some of his friends for a show at the Wiltern, an incredibly gorgeous art deco venue in downtown LA, to see the Editors and Louis XIV. Good times, though both of us were exhausted by the time we got home.

On Sunday, we scooted out early to hit the farmer's market for the BBQ later that night and travel to Monterey Park for some dim sum in honor of Chinese New Year. Dim sum was excellent, though we couldn't find fried shrimp for anything! We did, however, stumble upon a very interesting dessert soup. Later than day, I met up with SL to see the chick flick 27 Dresses which was very cute and much funnier than either of us had expected. Dinner, was awesome BBQ courtesy of S and D.

Fine

2008-01-23T08:56:00.001-08:00

Things are fine here. I think I might be experiencing some winter doldrums despite the warmish (see previous post) weather and neverending sun. In the past few weeks, I've participated in many enjoyable events including going for a six-mile hike through Malibu Creek Park and seeing the remains of the set of the hit TV show M.A.S.H., going on a six-mile walk to a downtown Santa Monica cafe, doing another stint on G4 (see below) and last night going to a hockey game and getting to see my Red Wings crush the LA Kings three to nothing. Despite all of that, I'm still feeling stressed and generally blah. I feel like I'm falling into the same ruts as I was back in New York, spending nights on the couch (though, to be honest, I am at least knitting), not going out and exploring, letting myself get overwhelmed, etc. Hopefully all of this improves soon.

Seriously, I Didn't Sign Up for This

2008-01-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

This morning, S and I took a quick walk before stopping by the farmer's market to get supplies for dinner (chicken marsala, mmm) and to pick up a tasty breakfast croissant from the local french baker. All of that was lovely, but the temperature when we stepped outside? A brisk 51 degrees! Um, brrr!

When I considered moving to Los Angeles, I thought it was 70+ and sunny year round. Well, I hate to break it to everyone, but that's just not the case. Today's low? 48. The high? Well, it's 67, but never mind that for now. Because, sure, it's sunny, but at just after 7am when I want to walk, it's in the 40s! Granted, I have become a bit of a weather wimp and 60 degrees is enough for me to want to break out the hats and gloves, and yes, I made fun of K last year when she was complaining about the chilly 50-something weather, but this isn't anything new. I hate the cold. Always have, despite my Midwestern upbringing. So now I live in the land of the warmth and sun, and while it's definitely sunny, I still get chilly! Ugh. At least it's supposed to warm up a bit this weekend.

In other news, my keyboard is sparkling clean. I know that's not very exciting to anyone else, but after three years of using it, it's become very very dirty, and though I now have a raging headache (thanks cleaning products!), it no longer looks super gross, which is a bonus.

Other updates...Christmas was lovely, as was new years. I spent a week home with my parents and really relished that time to relax and catch up. New Years was laid back - S and I went to Z's and ate all the fake food we could (or at least I did) before succumbing to our month-long experiment, where we eat entirely "real food."

Last weekend we went ice skating, which was hilarious. S is an excellent skater (and a bit of a show off with all of his jumps and turns and skating backwards. hehe.) but I can barely stand up! But I braved the ice, and with S's help, after 40-some minutes finally got some speed going and was able to pick up my feet. And I only fell once! Later that night, we met up with E and her friend L for a relaxing dinner at Nook. The fries served with wasabi mayo were...well let's just say it's good I don't live nearby. Afterwards we had a pint at a nearby dive bar and watched (and sang along) as people belted out their favorite karaoke tunes.

Last night, I did another G4 spot that will air tonight around 7pm, and tomorrow we're planning to go on a long hike up in Malibu.

Beep Beep!

2007-12-17T10:51:00.001-08:00

My roommate K's boyfriend has a company that involves renting unique and rare cars. He had this one parked outside our place Friday morning. It's so cute!!!

There aren't any side doors. You have to get in from the front.

See how small it is?!

Dagnabit

2007-12-17T10:38:00.001-08:00

Last week was a little stressful. I got a flat tire, had an interview with a band, and was feeling just generally stressed about finishing shopping before the holiday. But it all worked out.

The flat was a quick repair job ($15 patch) after I fitted it with the spare. Well, technically, I didn't fit it with the spare, this helpful guy named Richard did. He had walked by when I was lying on the asphalt trying to figure out where to put the jack because nothing under there matched the illustration in the manual. Oh Volkswagen. He asked if I needed help and I said, yes, actually, I would love to know where to put the jack. Of course, because he's a dude (sorry guys, but it's true) he proceeded to change the tire himself, though I kept assuring him I really only needed to know where the jack went...

The interview, which was supposed to be later that day but was pushed to Friday was excellent. I was super geeked to get to go inside the Capitol building to do the interview as it's a Los Angeles landmark that I've always loved. So much so that when I was cleaning out holiday cards I'd received from corporations over the years, one of the few I kept was Capitol's card that had a big photo of the building on the front. Inside, it looks like most other office buildings, except that each floor was having a holiday decorating contest in the waiting areas just outside the elevator bank. One floor was hilarious. They had recreated a nativity scene with the Beatles as the four wise men and baby Jesus was wearing an iPod.

And, regarding the holiday stress, I'm almost done with shopping now, but I'm still a little bummed that we don't have any holiday decorations. I would love to go nuts and decorate the place, but K and I just haven't done so yet. Maybe I'll get some stuff today and just do it up.

Pre-holiday weekend

2007-12-17T09:38:00.001-08:00

It's only now eight days until Christmas (would that be maids a milking?), yet instead of spending most of it shopping, S and I took off Saturday afternoon to go for a hike. The night before he treated me to a comfort food dinner at La Cabana as I was feeling a bit stressed after a long week, and Saturday morning we arose to hit two sample sales and grab sandwiches bigger than my head at Santa Monica's Bay City Deli. It was exactly what we needed prior to our hike.

There are, somewhat surprisingly, many places to go hiking in the Los Angeles area. Hence, why S got me a book entitled 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Los Angeles. Though we have both wanted to do the "M.A.S.H." hike, it's a bit of a drive especially when you're not getting started on it until 1 and the sun sets at 5. Plus it's a six mile hike. So we opted for a closer one at Temescal Canyon, right near the end of Sunset Blvd. This is S at the bottom.

It was awesome. It also kicked my butt on the way up. We took the steep way up and climbed one of the canyon's ridges all the way to the top. It also took us a lot longer than it probably should have because I was snapping photos the whole way. Like of this cactus that hikers had carved their names into.

After 45 minutes we started to really wonder if we were going the right way because we hadn't yet reached the top and supposedly this part of the trail was only a mile and a half. And it was starting to look like Sleepy Hollow...

The view was incredible.

Once we reached the top, at first we weren't sure which way to go to get back down.

But we figured it out and on the way found something to play on.

The scenery on the way down differed greatly from that of the ridge. On the way up, there were scrubby bushes and chapparell (the sleepy hollow stuff), the trail was cracked dry dirt, and most of the plants were brown or dull green. On the canyon floor, however, everything was lush. The ground was wetter, the flora was vibrant, and it was cooler as well. If I had looked at photos of both areas, I wouldn't have guessed they were the same trail.

It's down here that I had S pose for some pics.

The view on the way down.

After our long hike, we climbed this awesome tree in the canyon. Look! It's me stuck in a tree!

That night S whipped us up a fabulous dinner of chicken, pasta, collard greens, and salad. Ok, well, I didn't really like the greens, but everything else was fantastic. That night we shot some photos of the canals which are decorated for the holidays.

Every weekend it seems I wake up craving pancakes. It doesn't happen to me during the week, but come Saturday or Sunday morning they're on the top of my list. So, on Sunday before we went our separate ways (me to the mall, him to bartend as a favor for a friend) he figured out how to make me pancakes from scratch! Mmmm.

Thar She Blows

2007-12-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I nearly drove off the highway.

On my way up to Silver Lake, a small neighborhood north of downtown los angeles, I was struck by the view. It had rained the night before, and the skies were remarkably clear. From the moment I got on the 10, I could see the Hollywood sign far off in the distance, and beyond them, the snow-capped San Gabriel mountains. Later that day, on the way back from picking S up from the airport, my jaw dropped again looking at the Santa Monica mountains on the drive back down Lincoln Blvd - because the air was so clear, you could see all of the crags and curves of the chocolate brown majesties.

This morning, heading East, it felt as if I was going to drive right into the mountains that make up the Hollywood Hills, and S mentioned to me how he can see the snow-capped mountains from his office, even though he's nowhere near downtown! Thank you, wind, for these spectacularly clear days.

This photo (not mine) hardly does the scene justice, but it should give you an idea...

Oh, and P.S., while in Silver Lake, a bird (not pigeon) flew between me and the person behind me in line. So strange! Then moments late, I spotted Sylar...er...Zachary Quinto from the show Heroes with his dog! Cute, despite the giant glasses.

Oooh...Pretty.

2007-12-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

The winter issue of Knitty.com has arrived and I've fallen in love with this pattern and would love to make it. However, my yarn budget is a little short this month. Thus, I'm putting the yarn on my christmas list. Here are the details:

1 skein of Rowan Kidsilk Haze (Mohair/silk) in Heavenly (light blue)

Though I'm sure it's at the local yarn store, it would also likely be available on Yarnmarket. It's gorgeous, isn't it?

Going East!

2007-12-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

It looks like I'll be making my first return trip to New York! S and I just booked tickets for a long weekend back east, and guess when we're traveling! February! Yup. This it what I remember about February in the city...

But we figured it will be a good weekend to experience the romantic chilliness. We'll be there from the first through the fourth and I'd love to see all of you! It is also Super Bowl weekend, so perhaps we'll hop around to a few parties. I'm hoping to perhaps invite everyone to drinks and dinner at one of the East Village/LES bars (of course) but after S and I plan our trip, I'll keep everyone up to date on the details.

Totally Venice

2007-12-04T09:42:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here working from home this morning and I just saw a long, white surfboard cruise by m front window. On second glance, it was actually a surfboard attached to a bicycle ridden by a dude on a cell phone. Ah, Venice. The land where multitasking on a skateboard or bike is nothing out of the ordinary. Who says a dude cruising down the street on a longboard, with a cup of coffee in one hand and a dog on a leash beside him isn't normal? :)

Thankful

2007-11-26T16:05:00.000-08:00

I'm exhausted. Last night, I flew home from Atlanta on a late night flight. The plane was supposed to leave at 10:45 and get me into Los Angeles at 12:42, but between a delay due to weather and strong head winds, the flight didn't land until nearly 2:20. Hence, I'm having a difficult time keeping my eyes open.

But the week was incredible fun. I arrived late Tuesday night and my grandparents and S arrived the next day. My mom and I spent that morning putting together various dishes for Thursday and getting the table ready. The night was spent introducing S to my family and devouring my family's homemade raviolis which are a favorite of mine. Conversations ranged on everything from the usual "tell me about yourself" questions to S asking my grandfather what it was like to be in the 101st airborne. As none of us got great sleep the night before, we all slept well that night.

The next morning came wicked early, which was mostly my fault as I had made a big to-do about wanting to watch the Thanksgiving Day parade which began at nine am. S set his alarm so I wouldn't miss any of it. After watching some of the parade and chowing down on a hearty breakfast, S and I went for a 2.5 mile run to get coffee since my parents only drink decaf and the two of us needed caffeine. Everyone we passed must have thought we were nuts doing a run on Thanksgiving. We had made it part of the way back when my dad and grandfather drove up next to us and asked us if we wanted to get in. "We've got candy!" they exclaimed. Hmm...candy or more running...we got in the car and took the ride back to the house, though I was disappointed when I found out that there wasn't actually any candy!

But there was a cat who wasn't happy to be stuck outside.

For the rest of the day we kept ourselves occupied until dinner with two football games, lots of conversation and some tasty snacks.

And my mom made a mouse (or...I suppose...a bug) out of a pincushion.

Dinner, of course, was good, and featured my favorite dish - my mom's apple crumble pie. I hate all pies except apple, and hers is just fantastic.

The traditional thanksgiving centerpiece: the silly half turkey half pineapple.

The next morning we woke up early again, this time to take a trip down to the Virginia Highlands and Little Five Points, the cool places I've found in Atlanta. The homes have great character down there and it's a lovely place to experience fall.

While there, S and I visited a cozy coffeeshop and picked up some truffles for my parents. On the way, we met a black newfoundland dog the size of a bear.

Nothing makes S happier than a good cup of cappuccino.

S and I also had some fun pretending to be paparazzi.

That night, we were all supposed to go to Aria for dinner, but were wiped out, so instead we ate at a local Mexican restaurant. After dinner, my grandmother showed me how to do my hair in another 40s style which I'm very excited to try out, though it involves some dexterity with bobby pins as I have to create many large pin curls.

Saturday morning, in an effort to avoid the rain, my grandparents got in their car and drove back to Florida, which was sad as I didn't get to spend nearly as much time with them as I would have liked to, but I also understand it's not much fun to drive in heavy traffic in the rain. After that, and much protesting on my behalf, S and I went for another run in the chilly morning air. When we returned, we quickly got ready to go down to the aquarium. I'd been there once before, but it's so much fun to see the adorable garden eels (they're like little worms!) the tiny but vibrant mandrian fish and the enormous whale sharks.

Across the street was the new coke museum. To quote Austin Powers, "Yay, capitalism!"

The four of us spent the rest of the day driving around Atlanta while my parents showed S the giant homes (though most Atlanta homes are giant compared to the homes in California) that line Tuxedo road. We returned to the house in just enough time to get ready for dinner at a Buckhead restaurant known as Aria, a place where it might be worth it just to go for dessert (mine was different flavors of sorbet - banana, grapefruit, mango, lime - stacked on a meringue while S enjoyed a lemon pound cake with a lemon sauce and orange sorbet) and wine, considering the markup isn't bad at all. We shared a bottle of Laetita pinot noir and the difference in cost between there and the store was only $14.

S left early the next morning (sleeping in, not so much an option on this particular trip) and my parents and I took the day to just relax and play a game of monopoly. My dad was so exhausted after winning he decided to take a nap. Note to self, don't trade Boardwalk for the purple property you're missing even if you think no one ever lands there.

Everybody Can Eat Cake!

2007-11-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

See?

There's nothing better than cake. Especially at 10:30 in the morning. Mmm.

Zoom Zoom!

2007-11-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

The weather is incredible today. It was warm and the skies were blue all day. But now, as the sun is setting and my lil kitty is staring out the window, they're fading from a hazy blue to dusty pink, and I can see the mountains far off in the distance.

This past weekend was so much fun. On Saturday S and I ran some errands and enjoyed a late brunch with his friends which included some hearty pancakes coated in pecan butter before stuffing ourselves silly just hours later on artichokes, potatoes, and blue cheese burgers topped with a compote of caramelized onion and bacon (made, of course, by S and D). We were joined by many friends, including Z and KL. Z had just returned from a conference in Savannah where we was on a panel and he brought be back an awesome t-shirt that says "Super Knitter" on it! KL and I decided she sort of looked like a girl from Teen Titans.

The next morning, three of us (soon joined by D's brother) sped off to the California Speedway for a few hours of Audi racing! There were four different events to do: a high speed lane change, an emergency stop, a slalom course, and finally, a chance to try out our skills on an actual racetrack. For each exercise we were paired with a partner and you got 2-3 laps each. S and I paired up and we soon had each other laughing and screaming (me) as we tore around the corners of the course dodging cones left and right. It was similar to the Mazda event I went to earlier in the summer, but this time we had 2 hours behind the wheel instead of 20 minutes.

Weird Weather

2007-11-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

I'm sure it's perfectly normal for it to be near 80 in mid-November in Los Angeles, but for me, it's a little strange. By this time in the year, I'm usually bundled up in multiple layers with a heavy coat and scarf. But today? I'm wearing jeans, a light sweater and my motorcycle boots. However, I could have been equally comfortable in a skirt and heels!

Equally strange? I now think 60 degrees is freezing.

Six Months...

2007-11-09T14:56:00.001-08:00

Last weekend, S and I celebrated our six month anniversary. It's been incredible. One of the spectacular events of the weekend was going horseback riding next to the Hollywood sign.

I'd ridden horses before but I really thought I was going to die. Maybe it had something to do with how insistent my horse, Crow, was about walking close to the edge. Once he stopped doing that, it was fun.

Halloween Party

2007-11-09T13:47:00.001-08:00

The week before Halloween, S and I threw a joint Halloweenish party at his place. There was a blind pumpkin beer taste test, pumpkin painting, and pumpkin pie eating to be had in addition to the four homemade (all the way from the dough to the toppings) pizzas that S whipped up in his kitchen. All of them were delicious from the margarita to the prosciutto and vegetables to the bbq chicken, but my favorite was mushroom with pesto.

The big winner of the night (and my previous favorite)

SJ rockin' a wig - and well too!

Su with her scrumptious cheesecake

M and B prove that nothing goes better together than beer and cheesecake.

The pumpkins. Some are nice...some are naughty.

My parents used to tell me that I should turn the lights off because the didn't own the electric company...but these people do!

Fancy Schmancy

2007-11-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

The other week, S and I went to an pool party at one of the largest mansions in the Hollywood Hills. The event was celebrating the release of designer David Yurman's new men's line of accessories, which were, of course, behind glass. But the champagne was flowing, the Bravery performed, and the view was incredible. Jeremy Piven and Ashley Olson were also there, but we didn't notice them.

One Awesome Weekend

2007-11-09T13:32:00.001-08:00

On the same weekend, the Red Sox won the World Series, S and I went pumpkin picking at a pumpkin patch, and I met my favorite living artist, Takashi Murakami at the members opening of his retrospective at the MOCA. I just shook his hand and said thank you, but joining the museum was worth it for that moment.

Outside the museum

In the outdoor garden sitting on one of his pillows. Wanna buy one? You can, but it'll cost you $990.

The next morning, S and I drove up to Oxnard to go to a pumpkin patch. It was a surprise for me, as all he had told me was to be ready to leave the house around 9am that morning. After a short trip to the farmer's market, we arrived at the patch. Once there, we took it all in...

then searched...

did some dancing...

then found our pumpkin!

...but not before I found a crown.

Fiery Sunsets

2007-11-09T13:18:00.001-08:00

As I'm sure all of you know, a few weeks ago, many dangerous wildfires were raging all over Southern California. I remember the morning it all started. S and I were sitting on the beach watching the sunrise and we saw smoke off in the distance. It almost looked like fog, but every few minutes the wind would change direction and you could smell a slight hint of burning in the air.

Though I know people who were close to the fires, I wasn't personally affected by them. However, because of all the pollutants in the air, we did have some remarkable sunsets, which would be the silver lining, I suppose.

The fires had mostly ended by the time the Red Sox won the world series (WOOOO!!!!) but here's one last crazy sunset.

I Have A Power Cord!!!

2007-11-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

And that means one thing - I can finally take care of those weeds with my shiny new weedwacker! Well, not really, but it does mean I can finally post some pics!

Last night, S and I played glow-in-the-dark putt-putt (these weird Californians called it mini golf) with some people from his company. I think our golfing skills could use some serious improvement, though it didn't help that the place looked like a psychedelic nightmare.

Afterwards, we went to the book release party for . K had gone earlier, but had left by the time we arrived, so we didn't know anyone there. Of course, that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves for the brief time we were there. The house it was held at was incredible, though from the street you'd never know that because of the tall bamboo trees that shielded the house. Highlights? Playing Addams Family pinball (the original is one of the rarest pinball machines), checking out the koi pond, and ogling the Eames lounger.

Tonight, we're going to a party for my company and then to see his friend's band play up in Hollywood. Should be fun. This morning was great. We took a walk down to get coffee near the beach and then walked out on the pier and watched the surfers try to catch waves until we walked back towards the house. It's a little chilly here now, around sixty degrees, but it makes for perfect sweatshirt weather.

Go Sox!!!

2007-10-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm ok!

2007-10-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Sorry about the lack of postings - the power cord for the computer that I usually upload my pics to broke and the one at work is being funky, so I haven't posted! I'm not close to the fires as the closest one is up in Malibu and a major freeway is in the middle, but I appreciate your concern! I'm off to get coffee...er...chai...at this local coffeehouse now and then later tonight S and I will be going to the Members Opening of the Murakami exhibit, but I will try and post stuff really really soon.

xoxo
B

Oopsy

2007-10-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

I realize I haven't been blogging so much about my life lately, but more about general goings on, so I apologize about that for those of you who read my blog to read about me and not about well, real estate. It's just that I've been a little crabby lately (I think S and K can now imitate my grumbling perfectly), but I'm feeling much better (no thanks to the Sox) so I'll post some pics tonight, but for now, here's an update!

Last week a friend of mine from NY moved here, which is awesome! I took her to the mexican joint La Cabana - the place is awesome, just see laist.com - and then invited her and a bunch of my friends to a party S and I hosted Friday night. We were so pleased that everyone we invited showed up! We had a blind tasting of five different pumpkin ales (complete with brown bag to conceal what I was pouring) and here's how they ranked:

1. Kennebunkport Pumpkin Ale - crowd favorite
2. Shipyard - good, but might be too overpowering to drink more than one
3. Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale - this is pumpkin flavored?
4. Jack's Pumpkin Spice (made by anheiseur busch) - tastes like bananas
5. Buffalo Bill's pumpkin ale - Yuck. It has a sour taste.

Z didn't like any of them and opted to drink non-pumpkin ales Red Nectar and Black Dog for the rest of the night. While we were having the tasting, S was busy cooking his four completely homemade pizzas (margarita, bbq chicken, proscuitto and veggies, and mushroom pesto). He was disappointed they weren't as thin as he wanted, but they were very tasty, and everyone was impressed that he made them from scratch. There's still a few slices left, so I might nab two for lunch tomorrow.

After much eating and drinking, we all started to slow down a bit, setting the stage for...pumpkin painting! Everyone got their own pumpkin and we had both glitter glue pens and paint pens so all our friends went at it designing little pumpkin faces. We had prizes for the winners. B&M got a pair of gargoyles, D&S got a beaker full of skull-shaped candy, and Z got a skull pez dispenser.

The rest of the weekend was equally awesome. Saturday was pretty lazy. S and I went to the yarn store (holiday knitting has almost begun), discovered the rockabilly store Brat, then went back to watch the Cal game during which I mostly napped and played DS, until the Sox game started and I watched them choke against the Indians until I was sufficiently crabby and fell asleep. Nice guys. Nice. Sunday S and I went to see the Red Wings crush the Los Angeles Kings 4-1. I pulled a half-Puddy move and wore my jersey. Next time I'm totally going to think about painting my face.

Home Sweet Home?

2007-10-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

So, I've been here exactly six months now, and I think my brain is official warped. I have somehow developed the impression that spending a million dollars on a home is not completely insane. So, here's the second home today that I found (it sold for 925,000) that I fell in love with, despite the fact it's in the english tudor style. I wasn't so much in love with all of the previous house, just the kitchen. But check this one out! Haunted? Probably. Great detail? Definitely. Um, there's a laundry chute for starters. I haven't enjoyed one of those since I was a kid!

Here's my favorite pics.

Guess Whose?

2007-10-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

I love this kitchen. It's feminine with a bit of an edge, has plenty of counter and storage space and a large stove. Plus, I adore the two chandeliers and that some of the cabinets are fronted with glass. Gorgeous. It's also Marilyn Manson's. He recently listed his five-bedroom home for 1.1 million dollars. If I had the funds, and if it weren't in porn valley, I'd be interested. A great kitchen, a claw foot tub, and 4,500 square feet? Yes please!

Check it out and try to imagine it with better furnishings:
Marilyn Manson's Estate Listing

Band on the Run

2007-10-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last night, I attended a screening of the documentary Heavy Metal in Baghdad. If you're familiar with Vice magazine or their online tv station VBS, you may already be familiar with the film, but for those who are not, here's a brief synopsis:

"Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2004-2007, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis."

The powerful film is a great insight into what Iraqi culture is really like. Though, of course, it too carries its own biases, it feels like a more honest glimpse into their reality than what we see on CNN, and the journalists behind it are really putting their lives on the line by going into Baghdad to tell this band's story.

The film is a must-see when it is released, but in the meantime, the band needs help. The director, Suroosh Alvi, explained last night that after fled Iraq for Syria their visas began to expire. Vice raised $10,000 at the Toronto film festival which bought the four transportation to Turkey where they are currently living and trying to get refugee status, which may help them later become refugees in Europe, the UK, or even America. They sold their instruments to pay rent and buy food. They aren't the only Iraqi citizens living in hardship, but if you want to help them out, the movie's official site (heavymetalinbaghdad.com) is taking paypal donations for them, and at least you will be able to see the impact your donation has.

What The?

2007-10-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

New Yorkers would be very confused about the parking situation here in LA. I was. I took pictures of it. I'll post some. But here are the two main reasons why. In Los Angeles, drivers:

- park more than a foot, often feet, from each other so not to block another car in (one assumes this is for two reasons - one, so not to appear rude, and the second, so no one hits your car when they leave their spot)

- don't park particularly close to the curb. After years of parallel parking in NYC, I'm still under the impression the car has to be nearly touching the darn curb. My friends here think this is hilarious. (California law permits you to park up to 18 inches from the curb. New York? 12.)

One other nice touch - instead of trying to mentally figure out where you can park and where you can't (anyone who has a car in new york has made at least one "am I enough feet from the hydrant/bus stop" calcuation) the city has gone along and painted the curb red where you can't park, blue where buses can park, and green where you can park for short amounts of time (10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, depending on what the curb reads).

2007-10-11T22:27:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is what S calls an urban planner's nightmare. On the one hand, it is. The long stretch of road that reaches from Santa Monica to beyond LAX is a mishmash of shops that don't belong together. A signage shop sits squashed between a chiropractor's office and a vacant storefront, and a unique furniture store can be found near the local pinata merchant. Nothing fits together. And, despite the many stores that call this street home, it's desolate.

But it holds hidden gems. Take the furniture or pinata store - at one time, the woman who runs Mary's helped furnish one of the Urban Outfitters in the city. She repaints and repairs thrift store finds until recapture their original retro feel. I have two of her pieces. Or, even more intriguing, Lincoln Fabrics. This cavernous store is messy, disorganized, and one might suspect that some of these fabrics have been there since Nixon was in office. It's the kind of place that in New York would have sent me into a near panic attack. But despite the chaos, it's quiet, and though it takes a bit of digging to find anything useful, I found exactly what I needed there, instead of at a big chain. Also, of course, on Lincoln there resides one of my favorite local restaurants - Baby Blues BBQ. Despite my original assumption, corn smothered with cojita cheese is not a likely bet at most cuban places in LA. But they serve it here and it's delicious. Their sweet tea isn't half bad either.

I'm not sure what I think should be done with Lincoln. It seems like an inefficient use of city space as it is, but on the other hand, I'm not sure I want to see it filled cute boutiques either. I sort of like it's dirty charm, but maybe that's because I spent five years in New York.

Memberfied

2007-10-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Marketing works.

Last night, I got home and checked my mail. Within it was an envelope decorated with dozens of smiling flowers. To me, they were instantly recognizable - they were the work of my favorite living artist, Takashi Murakami. Inside the envelope was a poster of his work (both that and the envelope are now on the fridge) and an invitation to join the MOCA (one of LA's big art museums). I thought about it, then called them up to ask a few questions. What I found out was that essentially, I would get two memberships for the price of one. For the year I would get free admission to the museum and to all member openings and parties and I would get to bring a guest to everything. Plus I'd also get free parking (key in Los Angeles). But, of course, for me the real selling point was that I'd get to attend the members party for the upcoming Takashi Murakami exhibit on October 27th :)

So, now, I'm a member of an art museum. And here, for any of you who are not familiar, are some images of Murakami's work. He's been nicknamed the Japanese Andy Warhol (he screenprints but also uses one character, Mr. DoB, over and over again in his work) and while I love Warhol, I think the real reason I like his art is that it is extremely weird and fantastical, but also sort of akin to Alice in Wonderland (see mushrooms). I also find it interesting that while his pieces feel very contemporary, almost anime-style, he sometimes incorporates aspects of traditional Japanese art within the work.

Murakami also started an artists' collective called Kaikai Kiki, and within it is another artist, Chiho Aoshima, whose work I also enjoy. Here are a few of her pieces.

Send Photos Please!

2007-10-04T13:05:00.001-07:00

Today Yahoo has posted a list of the top ten places to see the fall foliage...

Boston, Massachusetts
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Block Island, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Portland, Maine
Ogunquit, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine
Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
North Conway, New Hampshire
Mystic, Connecticut

...somehow Los Angeles didn't make this list! What a bummer. So I'm asking all of you who live on the East Coast (or the Midwest) to please please send me photos of the fall foliage because I miss it.

A special note to JD - you're in photo school in New England, so I know you've got a chance to get some really gorgeous shots!

Thank you!

What Are You Wearing?

2007-10-04T11:15:00.001-07:00

That was the question S asked me when we left the house last night. Recently, K had given me a shirt she no longer wore - a zip-up coverup that had a hood and pockets but not much of a back. It's perfect for the weather here in LA, but I hadn't had a chance to wear it yet, so I figured Ben Lee's record release party would be as good a place as any. S thought it was kind of weird, but it turns out it wasn't weird in a bad way, since one of Spin's writer/photographers snapped photos of us because she thought we were "cool looking."

Here's the pics!

And the link if you want to read our comments too :)
It Happened Last Night: Ben Lee

My Letter Opener is Cooler than Your Letter Opener.

2007-10-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

No, really.

One Please

2007-10-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

After the great wedding last week, I'm on a bit of a wedding kick, so bear with me. I was reading my usual blogs this morning, when I stumbled across this on the gaming blog Kotaku. If I get hitched and decide to have two cakes, this would be fun. Unless there was a way to make a Castlevania cake that wasn't morbid. Then again, I suppose I could have one of those made for a killer Halloween party instead!

Sew There!

2007-10-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

Before last weekend, I had never used a sewing machine, for real, in my life. Or at least if I have, I've blocked it from my memory. I had been on the search for one for weeks as I wanted to attach handles to the bag I knitted S so he could use it at the farmer's market (see "Knitting Fiend" post soon), but I had no luck finding one. But, it turned out S's mom had one and she and I figured out how to set it up and I sewed for the first time! Thanks B!

Two hands! Oh god, I can't look!

Ok, phew.

The results? The handles turned out well. They're attached very securely to the bag. S's suit pocket for the wedding? Well, let's just say it works but the stitch line was very...um...creative. I can't imagine it'll become my new hobbym but it's a useful skill to know.

Wedding Wonders

2007-10-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

I get it now.

This past weekend, S and I attended a wedding of a friend of his near San Jose. It's hard to put into words how beautiful this wedding was. The traditional Persian ceremony was held under a canopy of redwood trees just in front of a small pond, and the reception was outdoors on a lawn surrounded with gardens and another pond. Nearby was a stylized two-floor cabin where the beautiful couple held the cocktail hour and where the guests congregated following dinner (which consisted of a three-table buffet that allowed guests to choose between middle eastern cuisine, seafood, and american fare) for dancing and cake cutting. Oh, and there was also a small train that guests to take to tour the grounds. The event was festive and even though I was merely a guest, I felt very included.

Now, I've been down the wedding path on my own once before, and one of the things I was always panicking about was how much everything cost. Unless you're planning on eloping, weddings are expensive. I remember working out the budget, then reworking it, then reworking it yet again to try and shave off dollars here and there, but I couldn't seem to get it under 30K. Now, part of that is because of where I lived, how many people I wanted to invite, etc. Swallowing that number was very hard. All I kept thinking was - this is one day? Just one day and I'm spending this kind of money? It seemed wasteful. After all, it could serve as a down payment for a house. And though, if I do one day begin that trip down the aisle again, I'm not setting out to spend that much in a day, as I said, I get it now.

It's not really just one day. It's not like you went to the mall on Sunday and dropped 30K on a new wardrobe. This is a day that hopefully you will remember as one of the best days of your life. And, if done right, your guests will also pleasantly remember it for the rest of their lives. I remember my Aunt's wedding. I was the flower girl and they let me sit in the back of the limo and pour them champagne as it took them from the ceremony to their pool party reception where they tossed my mom in the pool, clothes and all. And I remember being a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding. Having fun the night before, dancing my heart out, and telling her a joke in the bathroom to calm the beautiful bride's nerves. The day should be done right - it's one shot, and you don't want to look back and think, oh I wish I had done this or that - if at all possible, you should get it right the first time.

That brings me to my second wonder.

On the way back from lunch today, I saw a license plate that read "Ms. Joye." Was this her last name? Was this her husband or wife's last name with a Ms. tacked on in front? Hmm. It made me think. I've never planned on taking someone else's name. I like my own, professionally, it makes sense, and I don't agree with the concept of the woman always taking the man's name and giving up her own. I know plenty of people who have done it, it's just not for me. Except that what if I ended up meeting someone with a name I liked ::gasp:: better than my own? Hmm indeed. Would I just add theirs onto mine and go by both? Or just keep mine and accept that I was going to be called "Mrs (growl) so and so" no matter what I did? Or, alternatively, what if they had their mother's maiden name as their last name? Would it be more feminist of me to take their last name in that case as mine had been passed down along a paternal line? I don't really have an answer to this at the moment, nor is it really an issue at the present time anyway. But for now, I think I'll continue to stick with "Ms. [my last name here]."

Camera Control

2007-10-03T14:47:00.001-07:00

S is an excellent photographer. Every time I lend him my camera, or we use his, we always end up with the best photos. Since my fam reads this blog sometimes, I'm putting these two he snapped at the wedding up for them. My eyes are a bit wonky in the first but the light is great.

Sometimes I've been known to take a good one of him too :)

Geeky Girl!

2007-09-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

It's a little embarrassing, but I'll admit, I've been a fan of the Ashton Kutcher-created show Beauty and the Geek since it's first season. The concept of geeky guys and brainless beauties getting matched up in order to teach each other smarts and social skills is pretty fun to watch. But there's been two things about the show that have always bothered me.

1. Can't girls be geeky (or I suppose, can't guys be brainless and hot)?
2. Can't girls be both geeky and hot?

Though the show fails to address the second issue (mainly because then they wouldn't have much of a show) they have finally addressed my first concern by casting a geeky girl named Nicole. She's a grad student from Tufts who studies Musicology and who went to Caltech and USC. Nice. My DVR was screwy, so I missed the end of the show, so I'll have to check it out next Tuesday when it returns to see if she's socially awkward or just brainy.

Birthday!

2007-09-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

This past Monday was my birthday, but the celebrations started on Sunday when some of my LA friends came out to share the day with me. The morning began with a brunch hosted at D's house and cooked by me and K. We made crepes, toast, sausage, fancy bacon that is sweet and spicy, salad, and R brought a yummy egg and bread casserole. I don't even like eggs and I thought it was good. We fed about 14 of our friends before I scooted off to get my nails done for that evening.

Around 3, S and I hopped in the car and headed over to Beverly Hills to Color Me Mine to paint pottery. I love this activity. Whether it was painting my own work after my handbuilding pottery class or painting pre-made pieces, it's so much fun. But getting seven adults together to paint is altogether different than getting kids together to do it. After selecting our pieces, we all got super focused on them and spent three hours making sure they were absolutely perfect.

K and me

S and I chose to do a sake set together. We painted each of the four cups a different season (I did fall and winter, he handled spring and summer), the tray a Japanese garden, and the bottle featured Mt. Fuji. We're picking them up tomorrow and I really just can't wait to see the final results!

(by the way, S claims he can't paint. I don't believe him anymore.)

After painting, we went to Remedy, a stellar Indonesian restaurant that S had discovered, and shared two yummy bottles of wine while we stuffed ourselves silly on course after course. The food was great, though I think we were all a little bit freaked out by the semi-gelatinous dessert drinks. Mung-bean shakes? Mmmm...

Here I am guarding three of them from S

The night ended with a nightcap at Saints and Sinners, a great rockabilly bar on the West side, where the bartender made us shots of a drink she was working on called a Tattoo something or another. In it was Malibu banana rum, Captain Morgan Tattoo, orange juice, pineapple juice and something else I'm forgetting. It was tasty, as was the El Diablo she poured me.

I opened my presents the next day and I won't go into details but they were all super thoughtful and it is great to have people around me who know me so well! Thank you very very much.

That night, I dressed up and S took me to dinner at Piccolo Restaurante, a cozy, romantic Italian joint right next to the beach. The serving assistant poured olive oil onto our plates for the bread and poured a cute little heart onto mine! Over the course of the night, S and I shared beef carpaccio that featured argula and parmesean shavings, roasted quail with porcini mushrooms and polenta, and a bottle of pinot noir from one of the wineries we visited during our trip to San Luis Obispo for S's birthday. The wine really brought back the fun memories of that trip. Each of us got our own pasta dish - he had a linguini like pasta (they're all homemade there) with beef tenderloin, and I enjoyed squid ink pasta with a variety of shellfish. Delicous.

After dinner, we returned to the apartment and S presented me with two cupcakes as he sang me happy birthday. It was such a great birthday and S has assured me it continues from where we left off tomorrow, so I'm excited to find out what is to come!

That Sure Ain't No Marine Layer

2007-09-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Right now it's sunny, but there's clouds everywhere and everyone is a buzz because there's a chance it's going to rain today! Well, truth be told, it was supposed to also rain yesterday, but sadly, it didn't happen. It's gotten all chilly around these parts - 50s and 60s - as a storm approaches. There were brief moments of rain when the hurricane hit Mexico, where it rained for five minutes or so, but it hasn't really rained since April.

But, today the weather channel is really making it look like it might happen. 60% chance of showers, with possible thunder! I just got new rain boots for my birthday (thanks C and J!) and I can't wait to use them!

ANTM Returns :)

2007-09-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

I don't watch much TV, but most of the shows I watch return this week and next - House, Heroes, and of course, America's Next Top Model. Last night's premiere episode was fun - though a little creepy when I saw a near clone of myself (eep!). I was also excited, after the whole Britney weight hullabaloo to find that they selected a model who isn't plus size or super skinny. Not that I have problems with either - Jaslene from last season absolutely rocked - but it's going to be cool to watch someone who I can relate to!

Also, J told me that Jenah is a cousin of someone from her last job so it'll be fun to watch her as well! Last cycle I was rooting for Jael, the girl from Detroit, until she was ousted (I was in the middle of moving coasts so I missed that episode!).

Shucks.

2007-09-18T09:43:00.001-07:00

Wow. To everyone who helped make my birthday special, thank you. It meant so much to have all of you reach out to me and give me good wishes yesterday. I feel honored to have you be a part of my life and I wish I were able to spend more time with each of you. Everyone's moving to California, right?

Much thanks,
Tweed

Lint-Free

2007-09-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last night, on the way to dinner with a friend, I realized my black t-shirt was covered in little white fuzzies from a hoodie I was wearing earlier in the day. So much so, my shirt could have been mistaken for being dark grey. So just before I made it to dinner, I popped into a dry cleaners and asked if they had any lint rollers for sale. They didn't.

But...they offered me theirs! So I delinted myself and went on my merry way.

Check 'em out on Santa Monica Blvd. just west of Sweetzer on the North side of the street.

Really? Really?

2007-09-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'm a junkie for the Video Music Awards, so of course I saw Britney's performance Sunday night. It was bland and boring and looked like she phoned it in. Even the lip-synching looked off. But the one thing that didn't go through my brain was, "This girl is fat." Now, I get it when blogs that poke fun at celebrities like the superficial are going off on this because that's their thing, but the NY POST?! Come on.

Really?

Cute!

2007-09-10T17:45:00.001-07:00

Searching the net today, I found these fun items:

Cute shoes by Converse:

A fun paperweight from Neiman Marcus:

A flirty skirt from Plasticland:

And ooh! I just found that the fun store Moss just opened a Los Angeles location on Melrose. I don't know if I'd ever buy anything there but it's fun to browse.

Beach Volleyball? More Like Bodyball!

2007-09-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

Ouch! I'm wicked sore today, but it's ok - the pain's definitely worth it. After much convincing, I went with S yesterday morning to play volleyball on the Santa Monica beach with some of his friends. I hadn't played volleyball since high school - maybe middle school - and I'd never played beach volleyball, but it was so much fun. I spent a lot of time chasing the ball, hitting it behind me, and slamming it way too far onto the other side of the net, but by the end I started to get the hang of it. Of course at that point, I was also exhausted, so I just sort of stared at the ball as it flew over the net onto my side and hoped it would be closer to my teammate so I wouldn't have to hit it.

After an hour or so of this, S and I took a dip in the ocean to cool off and enjoy the waves, which didn't feel nearly as chilly as usual since we were super warm from the sun. S convinced me to swim under one of the bigger waves, which was fun until we both stood up and had lost our sunglasses. Sad! Then there was the sandal incident...

Let's just say that after three attempts of me trying to get the sand off my feet and sandals, I tripped on a piece of board, stumbled into the sand and broke my sandal! S and I just stood there giggling for a minute until he lent me his sandal. Sweet, but I don't think I'm going to win any fashion awards. :)

I'm Offended

2007-09-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

When I was in college, the gender classes I took raised my awareness of subtle messages to such a level that I was offended by countless ads and nearly every MTV video. But these days, it takes much more than a gyrating video vixen to make steam rise from my ears. But Ted Nugent's newest album covers have got me really pissed off. On one hand, I know giving him the time of day just draws attention to him, but on the other, I've really got to say something.

I wouldn't care if the woman were just naked on the cover. What pisses me off is on one he's blowing up the symbol for supporting breast cancer research/survivors (he calls this "A War Against Breast Cancer" in his liner notes, but I'm not buying it), and on the other he's looking to blow up a woman. A naked woman is one thing. Literally wanting to destroy women is another. What is wrong with this man?

Dance Fever

2007-09-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

On this particular Friday, my office has become a cheery place where disco never died. Some of my coworkers have been indulging in the 70s mood for some time now, most recently with the BeeGees's "Night Fever." It's time for me to put on those dancing shoes!

Kisses to 2K!

2007-09-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows I love Bioshock. So much so that I've actually stopped playing it for now because I'm on the fourth level and I don't want it to be over. I am just crossing my fingers they release a multiplayer patch for it so I can go online and battle my friends with my arsenal of awesome plasmids...but I digress. Today at work a package arrived for me from 2K. It was the gift bag from the launch party they had in Boston. It comes complete with a pen, a sick mousepad, a too large t-shirt (though you better believe that this is my new sleep shirt) and a limited-edition faceplate. Happy dance indeed.

(this isn't my giftbag, but it's close)

San Francisco...the city of brrr!

2007-09-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, S took me to San Francisco so I could experience it for the first time. It was awesome. But, I've really got to get this part off my chest first: San Francisco is cold. Now, I realize I was there during a freak "heat wave" but I was still freezing! And I also realize that Mark Twain once said something to the effect of "The coldest winter I ever had was the summer I spent in San Francisco." Seriously, it felt like October on the East Coast. Maybe early November. Brr!

But, nevertheless, the trip was great and I'm looking forward to checking out the city again. S and I left early Friday and drove up the coast on the 101 to his mother's house. It was great meeting her, as she's really a pleasure to talk to, which made going out to dinner with her and S that night a lot of fun. She also has a gorgeous garden and the two of us chatted about the beautiful gardens my mother has created in the past.

The moon from her backyard.

The next morning, S and I got up early and headed further up the coast into SF. It sort of looks like New York from a distance, though the first thing you'll notice is that the streets are steep. There were a few hills S took me down where I actually screamed. Forget roller coasters. Try San Francisco in a stick shift.

Before meeting up with the friends at whose the house we were staying at, he took a slight detour so I could see the "painted ladies."

By the end of the second day in SF I realized there are a lot of "painted ladies" homes in that city.

This is the view from the house where we were staying.

After saying hello and picking up the keys, we jetted off to Napa to see a car show that featured classic and Italian cars. We drove over the Golden Gate bridge, which was, naturally, covered in fog. Though the landscape was dominated by grape vines, I did manage to snap a photo of one of the few areas that wasn't.

Well, it turned out that the car show had been canceled, which was disappointing, but I had gotten to seen Napa and experience the golden gate bridge and for our troubles the nice people at the wine place gave us a $15 wine tasting card. We scooted back to the city and made it to the Haight by 2ish.

The corner of Haight and Ashbury is where Timothy Leary supposedly made LSD in his bathtub, and these days the Haight is jam packed with vintage clothing stores, hippies, and a pair of legs that must belong to the same body as the tongue on Philly's South Street.

After a little bit of shopping and a quick jaunt through people's park, in which there is a really spectacular carousel I didn't take any photos of, we caught out night cruise out to Alcatraz. By the way, the boat's sign for "wet zone" really meant it. Everyone who stayed outside on the back deck got drenched. S and I narrowly escaped getting waterlogged.

This bird was being very rude and squawking through the guide's lecture.

If you go, you've got to listen to the audio tour. You'll look like a dork, but it's worth it.

The view from the top.

This is a banana slug. I thought it was cute. S wanted to touch it. No S! Noooo! He touched it anyway. I don't think it liked it. Sigh.

We capped the night with an incredible dinner at a Cal-American restaurant near S's old house. I think we spent three hours there over a bottle of wine (and of course a bottle of fancy water), and dishes of steak (him) and mahi mahi with avocado curry and rice (me) enraptured in conversation. The next morning I had the loony idea to go through the park across from where we were staying to get coffee. The view was outstanding...

...but the way back was painful and mostly uphill. This is me at the top. The hill didn't like me.

The rest of the morning was spent at dim sum eating ourselves silly on dumplings, chicken feet, and sesame balls. I like two out of the three of those things. Then we took the car over to Lombard street.

Next stop was the Mission, an area of SF that reminded me of Royal Oak or the East Village with its edgy boutiques. The area had some great murals.

After more window shopping and one purchase, we stopped by the Castro to have a quick Burmese appetizer since dinner wasn't until 9 and we were bound to get hungry before then. Dinner was downtown, but we met our friends E and M out in Russian Hill and wandered down to North Beach, which is the Italian district. There were tons of cute bars and restaurants, and we popped into one for a quick drink before dinner. I loved the jukebox that was filled with big band and opera.

The night was spent at a Moroccan resturant where the chicken bastilla was perfect but the entrees too soupy and at the Bigfoot lounge where great music (Nine Inch Nails, old Ministry, Dead Kennedys, etc.) streamed over the speakers. After a hearty French breakfast the next morning, and a quick stop at S's old house, we made our way back to the city of angels.

Redo

2007-09-04T12:42:00.001-07:00

Last night I returned home from an incredible weekend in SF to find my roommate rummaging through her closet and discarding items she no longer wanted. As I was sitting on the floor entertaining the cat, she walked up to me with a long skinny scarf in her hands. She looked puzzled. "Should I keep this?" I asked her if she'd wear it and she replied, "Well...it's pretty, but I want it to lie flat and it won't stop curling up." I took a look at the scarf and realized from the pattern that there was no way she'd ever be able to stop it from doing so, so I offered to reknit it in the same style, but so it would lie flat. So, thus, I have a new project.

Santa Barbara

2007-08-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, S and I took a little getaway trip to Santa Barbara. We camped right on the edge of a lake where we could see the raging fire cresting a nearby mountain.

We spent the first day wine tasting in Santa Ynez

And the second day eating and browsing Santa Barbara's boutiques...

...but that was after I made my very first campfire ever!

Last Night

2007-08-30T11:24:00.001-07:00

JD's Trip to California

2007-08-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

Last week, K and my best friend JD came out to visit us in California. It was awesome to see her! K hadn't seen her since last May and I hadn't seen her since a crazy day in April.

She arrived on Thursday and I took her to downtown Culver City to this yummy grilled cheese place called Meltdown, which is in an area of great restaurants (including Tender Greens, Ford's Filling Station, and a delicious-looking fried chicken place - oh, only if I could eat the stuff). Then the two of us cruised over to Santa Monica to do some necessary shopping before K came home. That night the three of us went to a local sushi joint where we sipped sake and sat for hours chatting and laughing.

On Friday, JD and I got up early and went to the gym before the three of us went to the Farmer's Market and bought...nothing! But it was still a nice little trip.

Afterwards, we went to brunch at Lily's and shopped some more.

That night our friend JH was having an intimate dinner party, and we had to leave time to whip up the peanut butter oatmeal cookies we had decided to bring. They turned out to be absolutely fabulous. Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats (quaker, etc.)

1. heat oven to 375.
2. mix sugar, brown sugar, butter and beat until light and fluffy
3. add peanut butter, vanilla, egg and blend well
4. add flour, rolled oats, baking soda, salt and mix well
5. put in fridge for 2 hours (we put it in the freezer instead for 15 minutes, made a sheet, then put it back in the freezer between sheets)
6. shape into 1-inch balls on ungreased cookie sheet
7. flatten with fork dipped in sugar in criss-cross pattern
8. bake for 6-10 minutes until golden brown

makes approx. 4 dozen cookies

The dinner was such a pleasure - it centered on us building our own Vietnamese spring rolls which are made from rice flour but not fried like Chinese spring rolls. We stayed there until late, sharing many glasses of wine and an interesting combination of a viscous raspberry wine and champagne. Suffice to say, we didn't wake up early the next morning.

For Saturday, I had made the executive decision that we would go to Grub for brunch so JD could taste Betty's sweet and spicy bacon, which is out of this world. We met her mother-in-law up there and I think JD really loved the bacon and getting to see part of her fam. After we shopped all the way up and down the edgier part of Melrose, though we didn't make it quite all the way to Ed Hardy's store. As it was nearly time for Z's party by the time we were done, we headed back to the west side and K and JD whipped up a tasty feta cheese and walnut salad while I bought chips, guac, and margarita necessities at the store with S. The party was crazy - I'm not going to go into details, but let's just say that there was wrestling in the hot tub and we didn't leave until after 2am.

Sunday was a lazy day as we were all a bit zonked from the Saturday party, though K and JD did put together a really nice breakfast of crepes and salad. And despite a bit of super-crabbiness on my part later that afternoon, I also managed to rally by the evening and put together a homemade drunken noodle dish that I had learned the prior week at the cooking class. I think the most useful thing I learned there was how to use a knife, because the mise en place took me probably half the time now that I have a clue how to cut a tomato and an onion. Despite not having all the right ingredients (I was missing Thai basil, sweet soy sauce, and Thai black soy sauce and had to substitute) I was pleased with the dish, though I want to make it again with everything on hand. Also that night S and company staged a light beer tasting competition where six of us were to determine if there was a difference between the light versions of Coors, Miller, Bud, and Miller High Life and if we could identify which was which. Each beer tasted slightly different, but I didn't know Coors from Bud as I'm not exactly a connoisseur of those types of beers.

I had to work Monday, and JD was set to take the red eye that night, but we made time so she could experience her first In and Out burger and do a long walk through the canals.

On the left we have a hamburger animal style, protein style and on the right, a cheeseburger animal style.

During our walk, JD found a spider.

Some roses

A cool house

The water

And an egret.

And that night, after dinner at La Cabana, we dropped JD at the airport just as the moon was preparing to enter its lunar eclipse.

The Power of Invention

2007-08-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

We now have an office Segway.

Birthday List

2007-08-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

As some of you have been asking what I would like for my birthday, I thought it would be helpful to post the list on my blog...

Clothing
Obey Motley Crew hoodie in Heather Grey (XS only)
hellcat t-shirt: Lipsticks and Pistolwhips site
cute jacket (L): Shop Plasticland site
love swallows cardigan (S): Trouble Girls site

Shoes
Tattoo-style rain boots (size 7) for when it rains this winter!: Amazon.com

Jewelry
Femme Metale Love Birds Necklace: Femme Metale site
medium winged heart: Pnut Jewelry site
cherry and dice necklace: Beadasaurus site
swallow and anchor necklace: Beadasaurus site
heart padlock necklace: Shanalogic site

Accessories
purse hanger (the cherry one): Hot Hang Ups site
queen of hearts belt buckle: What the Rock site

DVDs
Fight Club
Hot Fuzz
300

Night Visions

2007-08-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Did anyone else see the lunar eclipse last night? Around 2:35am, I pulled myself from slumber and walked outside with S to watch the sun block out the moon. I'll have photos soon.

Drunk Celebrities

2007-08-22T08:28:00.001-07:00

Now, I don't think celebrities should be driving around wasted, but this is funny:

Yesterday, Bill Murray was pulled over by Swedish authorities on suspicion of drunkeness after he was caught cruising through downtown Stockholm. He was driving a golf cart.

Sweet Dreams

2007-08-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

Now, I realize that I've been raving about Bioshock for weeks now, and I promise, I'm nearly done, especially as I think I'm nearly halfway through the game (if that is indeed the case, then it should definitely have multiplayer because otherwise it's kinda short). But yesterday felt like all Bioshock all the time. I went on G4 again to talk about how awesome the game is, and later that night, fell asleep on the couch and had a dream about where to find the crossbow. Unfortunately, I didn't remember much when I woke up, so it wasn't particularly helpful.

Today I found this strip of the Penny Arcade comic, that I'm sure, if you're also playing the game, you will appreciate:

Oh, and here's the clip from yesterday. I slowed down the speed of my speech, as I noticed I had been talking like the Micromachines guy, but I still managed to make one incoherent sentence...what I was trying to say was that while the PC gamers got the short end of the stick with the demo, I think 360 and PC users will get the patch to fix the widescreen problem at relatively the same time. Trust me, that's not what came out. But, it's a learning process, right? :)

Yesterday was really lovely - after work and the G4 appearance, I met S and we went to our Thai cooking class. It was so much fun! I wish my camera had had batteries because I would have taken some photos of it. We were led by Chef Jet Tila whose family opened the first Thai market in Los Angeles (on Melrose and Normandie) and also opened Royal Thai, the first Thai restuarant in West LA. He taught us how to make papaya salad and thai soup stock and then two people picked a dish and made it together. S and I made one of my favorite noodles, drunken noodle. We worked really well together - splitting the duties between chopping (him) and mixing (me). I've never been much of a cook, so I'm still learning how to use a knife, but Chef Tila taught me a lot so by the end of the class I was cutting tomatoes without mushing them! Our dish turned out really well, despite my two little screwups, as S is great over a hot flame. The biggest whoops was when I added the sauce (which we had doubled because it was stirfry) all at one time instead of adding it as needed. But, we mostly solved the problem by adding more noodles to the dish. It turned out tasty, though still a little oversauced. But now I'll remember for next time!

After we had fun learning new ways of cooking (including a quick way to butterfly poultry) and new dishes, we went to the Viper Room to watch Jeremy Fisher play. His sound is a mix of Neil Young and Simon & Garfunkel, and his upcoming album is a lot of fun. He was good live, but not dramatically different from the record. And, because he was playing all new stuff on an album that hadn't yet been released, S and I were the only ones who knew the words. But we had a good time, even with the super drunk college girls stumbling all over the place in front of us and encroaching in our space. I felt like I was playing bumper cars!

Tomorrow, J arrives and I am so very very excited!

A Nice Walk Home

2007-08-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

On my way home today, I was smiling and was greeted by many other people smiling, including a girl who said hi, and a few other people. It's so nice to hear peaceful sounds - the wind rustling the trees, children playing, the gears of a bike as someone rides by - instead of the cacophony I had become accustomed to. sigh.

S has returned from Europe and brought with him many good stories, hundreds of photos from his trip, and some awesome goodies for me! Yesterday we did some errand running (well, fun errand running like going to Cost Plus) and then took a long walk on the beach and through the canals before he treated me to Korean BBQ. Yum! We got to do some grilling ourselves over the fire of Korean short ribs, shrimp, and mushrooms which was qutie fun, although I don't think the waiters really liked it when we tried to adjust the temperature ourselves. oops.

Then we rented the Good Shepherd and....zzzzzz...seriously. The movie is dull and is in need of serious editing. Why? Well, let's just say I fell asleep in the middle for a good twenty minutes and when I woke up I hadn't missed anything.

Oh - and for an update - Bioshock rules.

WooHOO!

2007-08-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Bioshock was supposed to arrive to me on Tuesday, but it's here! S is going to be so happy that I'm not devoting Tuesday and Wednesday night next week to the game as he just arrives home tomorrow night from Europe after being there for two weeks. But tonight? You bet I'm going to play this until my fingers are numb.

An Unusual Day

2007-08-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was full of unexpected moments. Two in particular.

Around mid-morning, I needed to make an errand run to Santa Monica, so I walked down to my car which I had parked under a tree the night before, and opened the door. I went to step inside, but something in the corner of my eye caught my attention, so I stopped and backed up. Inside the door, barring my ability to sit in the driver's seat was a large, intricate spiderweb, complete with a large yellow spider. I have no idea how this spider got into my car, but there it was, happily spinning. Unfortunately, I had to move the little thing since I needed to get into my car, so with a small branchlike piece of wire, I moved the spiderweb out of the car then dusted the spider out as well. I hope he or she finds another good place to spin.

The second incident was later in the afternoon as I was taking out the trash. I stepped onto my front stoop and saw the guy who wears the doctor's mask and flannels (despite how warm it is) daily out for his run. For the first time ever, he said hello, so I greeted him as well, then went to put the trash away. But then, when I was done, another guy came up to me and asked me if I knew why he wore the mask, I said no, but I guessed maybe he had a respiratory problem. He said that the guy was just scared of the air. Ok. Whatever. But then, he went on to talk to me about my necklace and how it means everlasting life. (Really? It's a key with wings. I don't know about that) and how he's a medium. Uh-huh... Then he asked for my birthday and I told him the day and month and he said my numerology is 7 and 8 meaning I'm the yin yang and I have one foot in this world and one foot in the spirit world. At that point, I said I really had to go.

Curiouser and Curiouser.

Travel and Parties

2007-08-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

I need to get this off my chest first - I have for the most part, abandoned my chai obsession. It started with my displeasure with Starbucks for raising their price to $3 for a small (er, tall) and since I've bought a chai or two, but then I only end up drinking half of it as I forget it in my car wherever I'm going. This is probably a good thing, but in its place, I think I have a newfound addiction to cupcakes. I fear this might be dangerous.

S is away in Spain still, and he's been sending me emails to keep me up to date on his travels. So far, he's been to Portugal and Morocco and parts of Spain - he's on his way to Barcelona now, which I quite want to visit - and it sounds like he's having a lovely time. It's funny, every time we talk about going somewhere, like say, Tokyo, he mentions how he wants to ride the public transportation there (he's kind of obsessed). Now, I know he wants to do other stuff too like check out the cherry blossoms and the temples and the shopping (ok, maybe that's just me)...but as far as I know, this is definitely a key selling point on anywhere he travels. It's a bit quirky, but then I realized, anywhere I went I would totally want to check out the local textile scene and whatever knit events they have going on. For example, there's a knitting workshop in Peru I'd love to attend and one in Ireland as well. That's not to say I wouldn't try to explore as much of the rest of the country as I could, but if a place has a strong history in fiber, I definitely want to delve into it while I'm there.

This past weekend was great. I spent a lot of it working (big story was due today), but the rest was spent knitting, drinking sangria with K, and then going to this great party on Sunday at her boyfriend's place. D and his roommates threw a huge party on the roof of their apartment complete with a DJ, misting machines, and lots and lots of communal food and drink. I accidentally brought these pony Coronas! I thought they were the right size and then when I went to put them in the fridge, I realized they were only 7 ounces! They were cute though - tiny beers for a petite girl. It fits. I met a lot of awesome people at the party, including a couple from SF and a guy thinking about moving out here from NY. I just kept telling him how great it is out here, and eventually I just said, "well, would this ever happen in New York?" He's like "nope!" Exactly.

Today is really clear and beautiful. It must have been particularly windy last night or early this morning, because I could see the mountains on my way to work, and they're usually obscured.

Whoa

2007-08-09T01:19:00.000-07:00

I just woke up to find the couch I had fallen asleep on moving. I wasn't sure if it was still my dream, but then I heard Atari mew and run into the bathroom (sending the rug flying) and I knew it wasn't just me. It was an odd sensation, like being gently rocked back and forth, but I'm glad I was on the couch next to an internal wall with nothing to fall on me.

It wasn't very strong out near us, as it was a 4.5 level earthquake 4 nnw of Chatworth (30 miles away) (that means it was in the middle of the valley), but still strong enough to wake me and K up when it occurred at 12:58. Afterwards, when I figured any aftershocks would have been finished, I walked around the house, checking on the freaked out Atari and looking for any evidence that there actually was an earthquake, but couldn't find any - none of my figurines had moved, though the boxes near my closet seemed slightly farther away than before. But it wasn't until I turned to fox that they had a banner at the bottom of the screen mentioning it. Well, looks like sometimes it helps to have a channel devoted to senationalism.

My first earthquake. So strange.

The Grind

2007-08-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling slightly pukey, and I don't know if it's from the three glasses of milk I drank in the last hour, the weird shrimp I ate for lunch, or the fact that I still have 16 reviews left to write for the gaming package due Friday and I'm already at 3000 words. I think I just want to go curl up in a cave somewhere with the seventh book of Harry Potter and some knitting. And maybe a cupcake. maybe.

2007-08-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

A beautiful quote about love I found today:

"When Katie and I first started going out, it was as if I had slammed into a concrete wall with a feeling that I had never had before in my life."

Same Time, Same Place

2007-08-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

I'm on TV again! On Friday I was invited back to G4 to do be a guest on the Loop segment in Monday's Attack of the Show. It aired last night at 7 and 11, but here it is in case you missed it (or like me just want to watch it over and over and over - kidding)

And please, try to excuse my flub around minute 5. I was trying to say that perhaps the release dates the games eventually see are the ones that are more reasonable for developers working on these next-gen systems (and perhaps the schedule they're working off of) instead of the dates the publishers originally announce to the public, but it sort of came out in a mumbled, incoherent jumble. der.

Oh - while waiting to go on, I saw the actor who played the neighbor on Will and Grace. Gotta love Hollywood.

Darn Starbucks

2007-08-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

As you other coffee junkies might know, Starbucks raised their prices yesterday. Now, I'm a totally chai addict. I realize this. I drink chai almost every day. But Starbucks is now charging $3.00 for a small cup! A small! That's absurd. And, as result, I'm not going anymore. So there.

Home Office

2007-08-02T13:28:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, when I have a lot of meetings or I'm feeling particularly unproductive at the office, I work from home. Today, I've just got to get a head start on a video game package I'm writing and all of the games are here. Thus, I'm working from home. But, you know what what is really the best about working from home? I can eat the ice cream in my freezer any time I want!

Start the Countdown

2007-07-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

In case you weren't paying attention, Bioshock comes out in three weeks from today. I don't think I've been this excited about a game since Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII, or the last Castlevania . But I'm excited about this game. I gave it five stars and I can't wait to play the whole thing. In the meantime, though, I can try and distract myself with God of War II and Dementium: The Ward...

Birthday Cake

2007-07-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

Ok. When I saw Wired's cover with Martha Stewart and the Wii cake, I wanted that cake for my birthday. But then I saw a yarn cake on CakeJournal.com, and oh boy, I think I want this one more. There aren't any instructions and the woman who made it lives in Denmark, but it is just so cool.

Which do you think is better?

1. Wired Cake

2. Yarn Cake

3. Random third Super Mario Bros. cake

Nice Art Dude.

2007-07-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

When on kotaku, I found myself clicking on one of their artist banners and after a few more clicks, I was transported to Johsua Ellingson's website. This guy makes cool art based on stuff from my youth like Galactica and He-Man's Battlecat, but he also creates things like an adorable dunny that looks like a rabbit (so cute) and a eye-catching painting of a laughing squid, and my favorite, a eagle with baby dragons in her nest. He sells prints on his site for $30. ::hint hint::

Oh, and the self-title album I'm listening to by the Santa Marias is really fun, kinda in the style of Detroit Cobras meets Sleater-Kinney or something.

Ooh!

2007-07-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to the San Diego Comic-Con, but because I read kotaku on a daily basis I found out about these upcoming Castlevania action figures! Um, if they're out by my birthday I am totally putting them on my list. ::hint hint::

Simon Belmont. This is a man who knows his way around a whip, though he looks a little like He-Man here.

Dracula. The end boss for most Castlevania games.

Fleaman. Arghhhh!!! I don't even want to talk about how many times this guy killed me in the original Castlevania. You can't just ignore him. He hops up and down a bazillion times and follows you and is such a pest.

Succubus. Pretty racy for a mainstream action figure, and she kinda looks like BloodRayne, but still totally awesome.

Alucard. A guy with magical powers and parental issues. He's the son of Dracula and the protagonist of Symphony of the Night.

Last night was pretty uneventful. I droppedby the knitting store to get yarn for two projects I'm working on (a reusable grocery bag and a table runner). I picked up some standard black cotton for the bag, and a gorgeous blue baby merino wool by malobrigo for the runner. It's super soft and though I am a little worried it will get fuzzy, since the pattern originally called for a cashmere silk blend I suppose that would get fuzzy too. I'll be knitting two strands together at one time so it's the correct gauge, so the color should be quite rich and the piece should have a lot of depth. Though each dyelot is different, here's a pic of the yarn from the site:

I also finished the fifth book of Harry Potter. Honestly, I was a little dissapointed with it since it was anti-climactic. I hope the sixth one is better. S is working on the seventh now.

Tonight? The Simpsons Movie!

A Long, Fun Night

2007-07-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Last night I had dinner with some friends, some other media types, and Kid Rock. After dinner, We followed KR, Swingers-style back to his Malibu home where he played us his upcoming record and hung out until a little after 1am. I realize it's blurry, but here's a pic of us following him up there - his car is the one in front.

I took the PCH there and back, which means I was driving next to the ocean almost the entire way. When I neared my home, around 2am, I felt a need to see the ocean so I pulled off onto a side street and realized the moon was big and full. Behind those palm trees, under the blanket of night, is the ocean.

Female Gamers

2007-07-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to during lunch is read blogs. Usually it's crafting blogs or gaming blogs, because those are definitely my two of my biggest interests. Inevitably, though, I will eventually stumble onto some blog talking about female gamers - or how females suck at gaming - and I'll get sucked in.

There are a lot of misconceptions about female gamers. For instance, recently, at E3, a Nintendo rep kept trying to tell me that a device was perfect for women because they are casual gamers and this device would make gaming easier. I kept trying to refute his point that some women are actually skilled at games but he just kept repeating his point like a robot). I really just wanted to look at him and ask "are you seriously sitting her with a gamer and trying to tell her women don't play real games?," but I restrained myself from doing so. These seems to be the most common misconceptions about female gamers:

1. We don't exist.
2. We prefer cutsey games like The Sims and Nintendogs or casual games like Bejeweled to other titles.
3. We look like trolls.
4. We suck at gaming.

I've been gaming since I was about four. My first gaming memory is of my dad bringing home the Apple IIc and I remember getting really into games like Snooper Troopers and Alice in Wonderland and Zork. I even subscribed to the magazine where I would see screenshots from upcoming titles (like Indiana Jones) and get really excited. Just as a reference, here's the back of the box (note that it mentions the game has "superb graphics!").

My parents were totally hooked on Ultima IV, which also had amazing graphics. They'd spend hours working together to write down spells and other useful information they gained along the way.

Yes I just said "my parents." My mom is mainly responsible for getting me into gaming since she's a gamer herself. She had an Atari 2600 (until she finally gave it to me after years of asking along with her three cases of games) and I used to play games on that when I was waiting to get a NES. My parents also used to take me with them when they went to their weekly bowling league events and let me play the arcades instead of always having to have a babysitter. Let me tell you - when you're ten, it's way more fun eating fries and playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Arkanoid than it is sitting inside at home restarting Dragon Warrior because your babysitter forgot to hold reset when turning the game off after you went to bed and thus erased your game. Maybe it's time to let that grudge go...

Throughout my childhood and teen years I played a ton of games either on the Atari, NES, computer, PS2 or my high school boyfriend's N64. My favorite games growing up included a few cute titles but nothing like Barbie. Here's some of my favorites from back then:

Zelda

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Super Mario Bros. (series)

Shadowgate

Milon's Secret Castle

Mickey Mousecapades

Mega Man

Mario Kart

Kid Icarus

Gauntlet

Faxanadu

Contra

Castlevania

Bubble Bobble

Adventure Island

I remember talking about Final Fantasy VII nonstop with my boyfriend at the time (who was also playing it) and spending hours working through the levels with my mom in the original Tomb Raider.

But that was a while ago, and I guess that doesn't really say too much about my gaming habits/skills now. But this list of information should:

- I just went to E3 because I'm a gaming editor
- I have most, if not all, current and next gen consoles
- I am counting down the days until Bioshock comes out. It's August 21 for everyone who isn't obsessing yet.
- I almost ran up and down the halls of my office in glee when Konami sent me a full-size belmont whip from Castlevania.
- I am currently playing God of War II (it took me a while to get back into this since I had to restart), The Darkness, and soon Jericho and Final Fantasy: Revenant Wings.
- I get the jokes in the Penny Arcade comic
- I once played Resident Evil 4 until the sun came up
- I can hold my own. I smoked other journalists at a Nintendo event once, won the Rockstar Table Tennis tournament (my pic is up on Jane's blog somewhere from the event), and at Universal Studios in Florida climbed to the 3rd position in Marvel Vs. Capcom
- I don't look like a troll.

Female gamers exist. We don't look like trolls. And we enjoy blowing off a zombie's head just as much as the next gamer. ::grin::

side note: I did not play that much of the original Xbox because I do not have bear hands. The controller was gigantic and clunky and awkward. Until the 360 came out, the PS2 was my main console of choice.

side note 2: Though I don't think girl gamers should have to take off their clothes for attention, I don't care if the female characters in games are wearing skimpy outfits and have comic proportions. I just want there to be more strong female characters I can play as, and if they look sexy and can kick butt at the same time, that's just fine with me.

This Weekend was Grand

2007-07-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

Ah. What a relaxing weekend. Between the wine tasting and the ikea building and the cookie baking, it was really quite wonderful.

On saturday, I awoke early - oh kitty why won't you let me sleep? - and got some coffee and breakfast before K and I headed to IKEA to fix the unhipness of our apartment. After a few hours in the land of unassembled Swedish furniture, we found everything we needed, including a small dresser and two bookcases. And, finally, some measuring cups.

We dropped the stuff at the apartment and hopped into her bf's stunning '64 white Ford Thunderbird to go wine tasting up in South Pasadena. And though my hair was one giant rat's nest by the time I got out of the car, it was totally worth it to experience the open road and blue skies in the back of such a gorgeous car.

After a brief stop at a cute French deli and a sampling of five wines, we headed west 50 miles to Newbury Park for a BBQ. It really doesn't feel like the city out here.

The only problem with IKEA is that you have to build the stuff you buy, so Sunday was dedicated to assembling the various pieces of particle board. S and I worked as a great team together on the bookcases, and then I worked on the dresser when he went to the Dodgers game.

Atari tried to help too, making sure the wood pieces were in tight and looking in my bag for any missing pieces.

Sunday night I was totally domestic - I baked chocolate chip cookies and watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with S on the couch. Tonight? Maybe Korean food and Harry Potter. Yum.

Oh no.

2007-07-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

It was bound to happen. I have discovered a problem with Los Angeles. I know you're thinking, traffic, right? No. Complaining that there is traffic in Los Angeles is like complaining that there are a lot of people in New York. Here are the two problems I have with LA:

1. Everyone closes too darn early.
Shops: 7ish
Restaurants: 10ish
Bars: 2

What is up with this?

2. It is hard to find tasty mid-priced food. I went to a simply delicious dinner last night at Shima, a brown rice sushi resturant inside a loft in Venice. I had lobster ceviche and an incredible baby red snapper carpaccio with truffle oil (seriously probably one of the best things I've ever eaten) and some sushi (not as impressed with the sushi as I was with the entrees), but the bill before tip for two? $135. Gulp. And we were still hungry (fyi - it wasn't a liquid dinner - we only had one $12 bottle of sake). Thank goodness Pinkberry solved that problem. But really, in New York I used to go to the following yummy restaurants on a regular basis:

Sea (website)
Kate's (menu)
Typhoon (they've since changed their menu so who knows)
Yaffa (website)
Dumpling Man (website)

And I hardly ever spent more than $20.

I am having a seriously difficult time finding such places in Los Angeles. It seems that most tasty food here is wicked expensive. So far, I've found La Cabana and Baby Blues BBQ, but that's about it.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Schwag

2007-07-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

People don't seem to think women have a sense of humor. Case in point, when I was handed this item at E3, the person handing it to me said sarcastically, "oh yeah, you'll really love this." I figured it was cufflinks or something I couldn't actually enjoy, but then I opened in and it was a grill. Seriously. Ridiculous, but hilarious. Now, I don't know many guys who got them who would actually use these things, but nothing says gamer like a UFC grill. I'll try to take a better photo.

Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to get it to fit properly, so there aren't going to be any photos of me around town sporting the thing. Which is probably good because I might not have any friends anymore if I did.

Morticia's Decorating Tips

2007-07-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

S got me some lovely flowers the other day, but I noticed today that it's time for them to go since it's staring to look like members of the Addams Family are doing my decorating.

Los Angeles Life

2007-07-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Random things in LA.

Across the country twelve 7-11s are being converted in Kwik E Mart's in honor of the upcoming Simpsons movie. I haven't gotten to one yet but I'm intending to. They're serving Buzz Cola and movie doughnuts and Krusty Os. Yes, of course it is just a marketing campaign, but it's a darn good one.

This sculpture was erected in Venice the other week and some people don't like it. I think it's fine, but I thought this temporary addition to it was kinda silly.

I went to Warner Bros. to listen to an album the other day and discovered they really do have a water tower, though sadly, I don't think the Animaniacs live in it. boo.

This is the Roosevelt Hotel's pool. It's quite a nice place to lounge during the day.

A while ago I think I mentioned the Venice Canals. They're really breathtaking.

Venice beach at sunset.

July 4th

2007-07-18T16:32:00.001-07:00

July 4th was a blast - especially if you count all the er...legal? fireworks we set off. Considering the day featured a trip to the farmer's market where S and I bought waay too many vegetables, a trip to the horse track, some tasty bbq, and fireworks it was kind of hard for it to go wrong. Well, except that I really shouldn't keep trying to gamble. I've never won, and even though I'm sitting there betting on the best horses to win, place, or show and losing, that should be telling me this isn't my calling. But it was fun anyway.

Horsies!

B's trying to make a good bet.

Mmmm...tri-tip

B and M brought over their new puppy Roswell. It's in the running for the cutest. dog. ever.

Time to grill

The Great Outdoors - Round 2

2007-07-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

For S's birthday a bunch of us went to Lopez Lake in San Luis Obispo (I insist on pronouncing this place Oh-bees-poe though I know that's wrong. whatever.) to go swimming, fishing (after which I went vegetarian for a good few days but have seriously cut back on my meat intake), and wine tasting. It's really gorgeous country up there - when you first wake up there is dense fog hovering on the tops of the hills and there is a chill in the air, but the minute that starts to dissipate, watch out, because it gets hot in a matter of minutes.

While up there, I went wine tasting for the first time. We went to two places, and S bought a bottle at the second place (the wines at the first place were meh). I didn't buy any wine, but I did have a lot of fun at the third place which we couldn't even get into because it was full. Because you know what - wine tasting isn't about being snobby about wine - it's about having fun!

And I met Smokey the Bear!

I Miss You!

2007-07-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

Friends! Family! I miss you! Come visit!

Southwest has cheapy flights ($99 each way) from Long Island to Los Angeles. You just have to buy the the fares by July 26th (next Thursday), but you can fly up until January 11th. I just priced out a trip from NY to LAX and the fare is $239 including all taxes. So...if you can swing $239 now, that means come chilly December or January, you can come visit me by the beach :) You know you want to.

The link to the Southwest deal on their site

Rock Out With Your...Oh Wait. I'm a Girl.

2007-07-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

In any case, during E3 I was at the Troubadour seriously rocking out to Eagles of Death Metal (woo!) and Queens of the Stone Age (also woo). Though, admittedly, I'm more of a EODM fan than a QOTSA fan, I think I might have been getting more into the music than anyone else there, until a bunch of us started a mosh pit during Josh Homme and co's set. Hence, I'm probably one of the blurry people in the pics below.

E3 was awesome - except for that whole thing about the Barker Hanger being in the middle of nowhere and the parking and the indie publisher getting no love - but the one thing I have to remember to do while I'm there is eat. I sort of forgot that on Friday, and after driving in stop-and-go traffic in 90-degree heat on my way to interview Billy Bob Thornton late that afternoon, I had to pull over and barf. Let me tell you, it's hard to look dignified when you're yakking up last night's dinner near Wilshire Blvd. Hot, right?

Major Crush

2007-07-16T15:01:00.001-07:00

You know what I love? Pinkberry. Mmmm....delicious Pinkberry. I've promised S that I won't go to the one around the corner from my house anymore because it's a chain store and my city's residents are trying to get people to boycott it so the street will go back to not having chain stores. Trust me, I love my Starbucks, but I don't want one on that street. This is probably best for my wallet and waistline anyway, but there's another one about a mile away. :)

Why do I love Pinkberry? Because it's yummy (it tastes like actual yogurt that's been frozen), it can be covered with delicious toppings like fresh strawberries or blackberries or mochi balls, and it's (reasonably) healthy! A giant 8oz tub of the stuff is only 200 calories and has 8 grams of protein and 32% of your daily calcium and vitamin C! I usually get the plain because I think the green tea flavor is kind of gross, but you should try it if it's near you!

Pinkberry :)

Post-E3 wind down

2007-07-15T14:04:00.001-07:00

Wow. Last week was insanity. Not only was it the E3 video game convention, I also had to prepare for being interviewed twice (once on the G4 network and once for an upcoming video game documentary) and doing two interviews (System of a Down's Serj Tankian and Billy Bob Thornton) in addition to turning in copy since deadlines are upon me. Come yesterday, I was exhausted and spent most of the day sleeping and reading Harry Potter.

But even though the week was exhausting, here are some highlights:

- Watching Eagles of Death Metal and Queens of the Stone Age rock the Troubadour, then between sets doing a shot with Peter Moore, the VP of Microsoft's Xbox division, and friends.

- Going on G4 for a second time to talk about what's changed with E3. Next time, less blinking.

- Eating dinner at Chez Jay with indie publisher Gamecock and the zaniness of guest Ron Jeremy

- Stealing away moments to hang out with S

- Winning my first ever MMO deathmatch round with the game Fury.

And what about the games? Here's what I'm excited about:
- Mass Effect
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles (Symphony of the Night included with extra content? You don't say!)
- Legendary: The Box
- Dementium: The Ward
- Mushroom Men
- Metal Gear Solid 4
- Manhunt 2 (should it ever come out)
- Bioshock (duh)
- WiiFit
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
- Metroid 3: Corruption
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Condemned 2
- Resident Evil 5 (yes. I realize there is only a trailer. If you think this matters, obviously you didn't play Resident Evil 4.)

Oh, and here's a relatively recent pic of me before I went to the hairdresser who doesn't know how to follow directions...anyone know a good stylist in Los Angeles?

Good Music

2007-07-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I love hardcore. But almost as much as I love hardcore, I love female singers who can really tear it up or who front bands who can. I'm not talking about Lacuna Coil, where Cristina Scabbia has a lovely voice but fails to make me feel like she's got any edge when she takes off that corset of hers, but other female artists who know how to shred lyrics like it's nobody's business.

Here are two bands you should know about that I adore:

Schoolyard Heroes (www.schoolyardheroes.com) - the lead singer of this band sings creepy, f'ed up lyrics about love and death (but not in a whiny way - see previous post) atop some intense guitar riffs and sounds like she's teetering on the edge of insanity. Their third album will hit this fall.

Otep (www.otep.com) - Otep Shamaya, who fronts this band could take on Corey from Slipknot in a scream-off and she might just win. Her vocals are as brutal as watching a baby lamb go through a meat grinder, and the music she sings over just makes you want to rage. Great stuff.

And a few others that you should be aware of:

Walls of Jericho
Arch Enemy
Made Out of Babies

Bad Music

2007-07-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

The other day, a friend of mine took me to a concert at a great little venue. Now, I've been to a ton of shows in my life, doing what I do, but I always appreciate the invite. So, I went, and oh my god, the band was awful. Now, here's the thing - a lot of people like this band, and you know what? That's great, but I thought they sucked. But it's not just them. It's their genre of music that I think needs to expire. Like, now. Now, sure, maybe I'm being too hard, like when I hated Dave Matthews Band (and everyone who listened to it) in high school and most of college, then finally got over it when I realized that well, while they might be playing boring, easily accessible music, their album are decent for background music.

But oh my god, (what they're now calling) post-hardcore and screamo - when are you going to die off and go away like nu-metal finally did?

I like punk. I love hardcore. Real hardcore. Like, oh, I dunno, Minor Threat and American Nightmare and the Refused. I even like some melodic hardcore like Boy Sets Fire's record After the Eulogy with all of its hooks and Nathan Gray preaching about the American economy. What I absolutely can't stand are bands like Thursday, the Used, Funeral for a Friend, Taking Back Sunday, etc. Either scream or sing. Or if you're going to do both, please do it so I actually believe you're so frustrated with a situation (not getting laid DOES NOT COUNT - you should just grab an acoustic guitar and sit in your dorm room and cry as you strum along instead of screwing up my scene because you're upset your game sucks) that you really must scream to make your point. Politics, injustice, the environment, etc. Those are good starting points for getting really angry. Want some hints from a band who does it right? Go listen to Fugazi, which you really ought to have already been doing.

The problem with these bands is that most of them sing about nothing of any real importance, yet they've got a following of teenagers who wear black, mope around, and sing about death. Now, I was a Goth teenager for a point. I wore black. I moped around. I sung about death. But believe me, Marilyn Manson is saying a hell of a lot more in his lyrics than the majority of these bands are. There's a difference between screaming along to "Get Your Gunn," a song about the murder of an abortion doctor, and singing along to a song about some girl breaking your heart. Frankly, I don't really care that much.

Pop is one thing. I don't really care that pop radio is crap for the most part and that the masses are getting cheap love songs. But it's these same bands that are on pop radio that have taken over the Warped Tour and more underground festivals where the "cool kids" are supposed to be going. Except that the cool kids are no longer the outsiders - they're everybody. It seems these days that practically every teenager has a MySpace account, reads Alternative Press, and knows about these tiny festivals. How did that happen? When did the popular kids want to be like the freaks? That would be like the khaki-wearing, white hat-sporting jocks knowing all the lyrics to Type O Negative or Rancid when I was growing up.

The real problem is that this music that's taken over these underground shows and a lot of the scene doesn't say anything. The music industry is feeding people the same churned out crap that they've been shoveling out for years, just with different packaging. Now people have an opportunity to say, look now I'm cool - this band I like has a lip ring and tattoos instead of a goatee or dreadlocks. It's the same old shit, and why the cool kids haven't woken up and realized it yet, I have no idea. Someone needs to get them a clue.

To all those screamo bands - take your music and get the hell out of my scene.

Holy Posts!

2007-07-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

Wow. It has been for-ev-er since I've written. Oops. Sorry about that!

Things have been good, but not too much exciting has happened.

This past week, the place I worked for threw a swanky party at the Roosevelt hotel and I mixed it up with my fellow coworkers, some gaming industry folks, and rubbed elbows with some celebs I had invited (including a member of the Backstreet Boys...strange for those of you who know what I usually listen to). It was a good party with a nice turnout.

Literally, the last month has been such a blur I'm going to have to look at my calendar to tell you what's up. I do know that my calves are killing me and that I'm limping because I did three runs on the Santa Monica stairs - about 600 stairs up and 600 stairs down (how many flights is that?) on Saturday morning. I haven't been able to walk right since. Ouch. Let's hope they feel better by this weekend.

Atari (my kitty) got pampered this weekend. I went shopping for her yesterday and she got a scratching post, a new water dispenser, and a purple igloo litter box so hopefully she won't get nearly as much litter all over the floor when she's going absolutely bonkers and kicking it everywhere.

My roommate got an iPhone. I want one. They're pretty and do everything, including google maps, which would be great since I'm always getting my butt lost. I'm always trying to find "shortcuts" then an hour later I'm lost in El Segundo asking random people for directions. Thank goodness Los Angelenos are nice.

I still love it here, but the "oh my god there are palm trees and it's nice all the time has kind of worn off. That said, I certainly don't want to leave. I much prefer (so far) traffic to crowded subway trains. Hmm...what else is new...S and I have been making half-hearted attempts at going to yoga. We both bought passes but it is at 7 in the morning, and well, that's kind of early. But we have been getting our exercise - we've been going dancing quite often (mostly on accident) which has been great as I love dancing and haven't done it in ages! Otherwise, it's just been a lot of meetings and work, but things are good.

Today I'm running all over Los Angeles - from Burbank to Santa Monica to Culver City listening to new music for the column. I am totally digging on the new Frank Black record, which I was really skeptical about and the new Supagroup. That band is amazing.

Love,
Tweed

Awesome Home

2007-06-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

I love this home. It's on the canals.

Hotel One

2007-06-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

So, my folks are thinking of coming for Christmas. To help them pick a hotel, I went and took photos of two that had the better ratings. Here's the first...

Outside:

A Block to the Ocean:

Porch:

Room One (shared bath):

Shared Bath:

Room Two (private bath)