junk & diamonds

tumble

2010-11-25T03:43:00.000-08:00

here.

amaryllis

2010-01-26T22:11:00.001-08:00

{found tacked to my wall @ the hotel san jose}

nasa

2010-01-03T23:18:00.000-08:00

the spacecenter houston

Good Girl in Highland Park

2009-11-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

Good Girl Dinette

{reviews}

art walk

2009-11-13T00:24:00.001-08:00

downtown los angeles art walk

dark city

2009-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween, get your dark side on.
As Carolyn loves to say: DO IT!

{1-3} streets near Third & Traction by hot late night sausage spot Wurstküche

{4} i wasn't the only one wishing for bacon donuts at a closed Nickel Diner

{5} Catedral de la Fe on Broadway shining her brights

walking spring

2009-10-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

On my daily walk down Spring Street through the Old Bank District, I am constantly gazing up at buildings, peering down alleys, and glancing at the sidewalk, appreciating the beautiful grime of downtown. And everyday I see something unexpectedly alluring like the Alexandria Hotel on Spring Street (see Beatrice Neumann's sneak peek inside here), the sunburst on the sidewalk that marks my bus stop, and the KRKD radio tower atop the Arcade Building (broadcasting from 1932 to 1961). Now when I see something great, I stop, look and take a picture. I can't do this when I'm driving through the streets especially when I am freakishly stressed at traffic, other drivers, and the thought of hitting a bus, which by the way I have done right smack in front of Pershing Square. Yeah, walking is the best. In fact, she's the greatest.

Here's Spring Street on a Wednesday afternoon.

camerabag

2009-10-21T23:45:00.001-07:00

angels flight

2009-10-16T21:23:00.001-07:00

I may have had to get into work before the break of dawn this week but I was rewarded by the sight of Angels Flight lit up in all her glory, trolleys and all. She stopped running in 2001, a year after my first move to downtown, and I've been waiting to take another ride since. Maybe she is always turned on when it's dark outside but I'd like to think that she's warming up, getting ready to roll like it's 1901. This area of Bunker Hill always surprises me, from the warm red glow of Angels Flight on a dark silent morning to a hundred cute goats grazing underneath the tracks come September.

Take a look...

a little dose of downtown

2009-10-01T23:42:00.000-07:00

jellies

2009-09-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

aquarium of the pacific

2009-09-17T19:02:00.001-07:00

long beach, california

art show

2009-09-13T11:51:00.001-07:00

scion space, culver city

nyc

2009-09-10T17:04:00.001-07:00

long long island weekend

2009-09-10T16:39:00.001-07:00

A long Labor Day weekend spent on Long Island. Alas, no photos of the Surf Lodge in Montauk.

{snapshot 1: prickly pear margarita from the blue parrot in east hampton. snapshot 8: lobster roll from the clam bar somewhere between amagansett and montauk}

lovely bones

2009-09-10T02:19:00.001-07:00

Just a few more shots from The American Museum of Natural History.
This gallery is breathtaking.

windows on nature

2009-09-10T02:01:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite places in NYC is The American Museum of Natural History. I spent an entire afternoon there last week and was mesmerized by these dioramas.

Dodger Stadium

2009-08-31T01:16:00.001-07:00

Check out more of these awesome shots of an empty Dodger Stadium at A Time To Get.

{photographs by A Time To Get}

the boy can't fight it

2009-08-27T01:14:00.000-07:00

George tries to fight, but loses, his battle with lady sleep.

thank you!

2009-08-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you Michael from the Flash Dance for making my August with your songs!
I'll be going to New York in a week and will be taking your July & August with me...
perfect songs for the road.

runyon

2009-08-26T00:16:00.001-07:00

runyon canyon on a tuesday (4 p.m.)

123: space cadet

2009-08-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

1. Planetarium shows @ Griffith Observatory & UCLA
2. Los Angeles at night from space

3. 1969

{photograph via souvenirs by tiger lily & tiny teeth}

let's dance little stranger

2009-08-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Strut, hustle, boogie, shimmy, jive, bop.
It's the weekend. Do whatever it takes.

Here are a couple of thieves with some smooth moves.
First, an old favorite of mine, Godard's Bande à Part perfectly set to Nouvelle Vague's Dance With Me, followed by She & Him's Why Do You Let Me Stay Here, starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt {from (500) Days of Summer}.

key west by holga

2009-08-21T00:31:00.000-07:00

A few more shots of key west, this time taken with my holga. My brother and I were, ok primarily I was, addicted to taking pictures with these face-in-the-hole displays. Is there even a name for these things? They were all over key west. I've been a hog, a busty tourist, a blonde mermaid and a pin-up waitress serving oysters. If only there was a face-in-the-hole of Hemingway covered by his cats...

bad things

2009-08-19T03:31:00.000-07:00

this opening menagerie immediately sucks you into the deep south. everything is done so right starting with the song, bad things by jace everett, to the font used for the credits. i give this banging opening sequence to season 1 of TRUE BLOOD a standing o.

the closet: some things personal

2009-08-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

{images via: 70 word custom leather belts* here, jacket via seaofshoes, letter and state charms here}

* In los angeles, THE best person to go to for custom leather belts is armando murillo, a second-generation leather artisan, at murillo leather goods located on olvera street, chinatown.

face to face

2009-08-18T22:41:00.001-07:00

my best friend kevin made these awesome custom notecards for me a few years ago when he was a starving student. he is now a booming creative director but i miss those hungry days when i got handmade gifts like this.

{who knows, maybe he will be persuaded to make some more! myfacehere}

the horseradish potato boogie

2009-08-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

two of my favorite foods, the horseradish & the potato, got together and did a delicious boogie.

get the recipe from smitten kitchen here.

{via smitten kitchen}

flashdance baby

2009-08-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

songs from the flashdance june playlist.

a douse of sad & lonesome is perfect for this late summer weekend.

{image via the flashdance; found via a cup of jo}

haze

2009-08-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

a few more snapshots from florida taken with a drugstore bought waterproof camera. i love my slr but nothing compares to the wait and see and oooooh of film.

words: unphotographable

2009-08-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is a picture I did not take of a girl riding her bicycle in slow circles at twilight in the parking lot of a motel that advertises weekly rates, the sound of trucks on the nearby highway leavened by the buzz of the motel's flickering neon sign, pinkly illuminating the girl's face each time she looped toward it, a swarm of early-evening mosquitos drunkenly following in her wake.

{via unphotographable by michael david murphy}

dachshunds

2009-08-12T00:52:00.001-07:00

i love the long body short leg combo

{image via festival league}

the closet: heavy metal zoo

2009-08-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

gorgeous vintage belt buckles by christopher ross, circa 1980.

{via atlantis home}

voyage: the florida keys

2009-08-09T00:05:00.001-07:00

{islamorada: betsy the world's largest lobster}

{islamorada: some spot off the highway}

{key west: a beautiful wooden house}

{key west: chickens at blue heaven}

{bahia honda key: the old bahia honda bridge}

{islamorada: colorful hermit crabs for sale}

{key west: bathroom in ernest hemingway's house}

{key west: bicycling to beers and oysters...yum!}

{key west: i loved staying at this remodeled motel in old town}

{islamorada: anne's beach}

the closet: kino sandals

2009-08-08T13:32:00.001-07:00

Aside from a couple of books, the only other purchases I made during my Key West road trip were these Kino sandals. All sandals are handmade and assembled by sandaleros (old-world sandal makers) in store and behind the counter. The Kino family, originally from Cuba, has been making these sandals in Key West since 1966. The store is a sandal saloon. A long wooden bar displays every style of sandal and shoppers sidle up to the sandal of their choice, give the pair a go, and make their purchase, all while standing in front of the bar. Behind the bar in the back half of the store, sandalmakers are hard at work, fans whirring, cobbling away.

*
I've since worn these sandals while biking and trotting about town. They're cheap ($12/pair - seriously), chic, durable & ultra comfy. I truly dig them.

keys

2009-07-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

on my way to miami then slowly driving, biking, kayaking, snorkeling, and swimming my way from key to florida key

{photograph via Deviant Art and Them Thangs}

b is for bears & balloons

2009-07-25T09:33:00.001-07:00

... & birthdays! happy birthday to my nephew preston who is turning "1" today.

Grizzly Bear / Two Weeks from Minimaxwell on Vimeo.

{photograph via souvenirs by lilliebee, video via the rockstar diaries}

park, ride & hollywood bowl

2009-07-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

here are some photos of the hollywood bowl last night with michelle, my brother & mom.
the park & ride from hollywood & highland was easy breezy.
i will never stack park at the bowl again.

koyaanisqatsi

2009-07-24T00:06:00.000-07:00

Philip Glass performed at the Hollywood Bowl tonight followed by a screening of Koyaanisqatsi, the mesmerizing 1982 wordless film by Godfrey Reggio, set to Glass's film score and performed by the orchestra and the Philip Glass Ensemble.

I was so lucky to have seen this film for the first time accompanied by live music under the stars with a bottle of wine and wonderful company. The stunning time lapse images and the undulating score lulled me into a meditative state. The images and the sound were perfectly coupled, moment to moment, beat to beat, completely and beautifully intertwined. The film held hands with the music. All I could do was sit there silently and be. Genius.

* watch koyaanisqatsi full length here.

{image via nonesuch}

relax & float

2009-07-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

* give this one moment to load, i promise you it will be well worth it. then turn up the sound and float....my brother tells me that the biggest creature in there is the whale shark. magnificent.

{via half rex full nelson}

words: just one

2009-07-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

simple. you'll see one word at the top of the following page.   you have sixty seconds to write about it. 
as soon as you click 'go' the page will load with the cursor in place.
don't think. just write.

snapshot: echo park peepshow

2009-07-21T11:22:00.001-07:00

photo of downtown los angeles taken near my old house in echo park by andjela, visiting from serbia, a few years ago.

summer nights at the cemetery

2009-07-20T01:50:00.000-07:00

hollywood forever.

this is the most beautiful place i've ever watched a movie.

every summer weekend in los angeles, cinespia projects classic flicks on the mausoleum wall at hollywood forever. through the years, i've fallen asleep, fallen in love, or just plain tripped and fell there. last night my pal carolyn introduced me to the most delicious epoisses (napoleon's favorite cheese!) and lucques olives as we watched kenneth anger's psychedelic shorts.

voyage: sandpiper & the sea

2009-07-17T22:28:00.001-07:00

A few pics from this past april when my brother and i surprised my dad with a day of golf by the sea. There wasn't a soul in sight because it was supposed to rain. But it never did so we had the course to ourselves.

The day was perfect.

{photographs of the sandpiper golf club in santa barbara}

1 2 3 : veggie

2009-07-17T20:48:00.001-07:00

i've gone veggie for the summer (and possibly longer). it has been almost three weeks and i feel terrific! these 3 have helped me transition easily:

1. veggie recipes from 101 cookbooks
2. (yu)m cafe de chaya
3. reduce, refine, replace

{photograph of carrot, dill & white bean salad via 101 cookbooks}

snapshot: big ole cloud of smoke

2009-07-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

my brother sent this view of the 10 fwy to me
brushfire?
looks both terrible & pretty

{photograph by Mister N.R.H.}

blogorganization

2009-07-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Follow my blog with bloglovi n

colored pencils

2009-07-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

i found this card from my grandparents in my shoebox last week. i've forgotten how much i love colored pencils. beautiful.

the closet: eyes

2009-07-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

If i ever destroy my current librarians, my next pair will be these rios from prism london.

{photographs via garance dore}

snapshots: tub of misery

2009-07-05T00:53:00.000-07:00

misery can be adorable

boom

2009-07-04T22:50:00.000-07:00

{Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles}

I love firework finales.

The loud quickening booms coupled with the intensity in the sky

get me so emotional I cry.

Happy fourth!

voyage: israel

2009-07-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

lovely images of israel from my beautiful friend michelle...

{metula: sunrise}

{sea of galilee: shades of grey}

{micha & miho & waterfall}

{jerusalem: old city}

{the dead sea: alive}

{the dead sea: moonlight}

{photographs by michelle ho}

kick push kick...

2009-06-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

push

coast

and away we roll...

{photographs via hhalf & the barstool romantic}

goodbye to the king

2009-06-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

thank you.

a healthy bar

2009-06-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

After hearing my friend Kristen rave about it for months, I finally took my first Bar Method class in West Hollywood and had a great time. My legs were shaking earthquake style and the ab/ass workout is incredible. If you enjoyed ballet then you will like this class. Michael the instructor is amazing and Sara, who works up front, is wicked cool.

Right now, it is a STEAL for new clients. Unlimited classes during the first month (normally $22/pop) for $100, or $75 unlimited/first month if you sign up before June 30 (with this deal from dailycandy).

tuck tuck tuck tuck tuck....

p.s. 7/21 update - 12 classes for $12/class for the month of August!

{photographs via bar method}

snapshots: animals are rad

2009-06-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

i can't deal.

this is too cute.

and this is too funny.

{photographs via them thangs - an amazing visual blog by justin blythe}

voyage: lovers' land

2009-06-24T00:40:00.000-07:00

Lovers' Land

{via the barstool romantic & a time to get}

voyage: goats!

2009-06-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

I was searching food blogs today for a curry recipe for one of my best friends, who is living so far away in Tel Aviv this summer but very much in love and falling in love with the city (I miss you M!), when I came across these beautiful photos of a sicilian road trip at pinch my salt.

The goats are adorable, I will follow them anywhere...

Oh, and M, I did find a great cashew curry recipe for you at

101 cookbooks.

{photographs via pinch my salt}

happy father's day!

2009-06-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

me, dad & okinawa

circa 1982

words: here she comes

2009-06-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

{quote via inspiration}

new sounds

2009-06-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

1. the silent lift at the bradbury

i finally took my first ride in the exposed elevator of my favorite building in this city.

it was too smooth and too beautiful.

all my thanks to sweet security guard Paul!

***don't miss out on this 360 panoramic photo. scroll up up up!!!!

2. the sound of my shoes

shoes by tiga

man: what's that sound? (beat)

i like that sound. (beat)

i love that sound.

woman: (beat) it's the sound of my shoes.

(carolyn sparks played this for me one boring afternoon

and it brought a much needed spring to my step)

{photograph by carel struycken}

words: she was hurricane

2009-06-09T01:16:00.001-07:00

I must confess that i often read books because one sentence or paragraph sings to me. Looking for Alaska is teen fiction and while I am hardly a teenager anymore, the last sentence is bait. The book is already in my library queue.

7.21.09 update: read this book!

{found via lovebuzz}

happy birthday!

2009-06-07T11:50:00.001-07:00

Today is the day in 1981 when i stopped being alone in this world.

Happy birthday to my baby brother nelson!

{photograph via ffffound!}

the black cab sessions

2009-06-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

fleet foxes making beautiful music in the backseat

{i also love this black cab session with grizzly bear}

water & earth

2009-06-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

My project is finally over!

This morning feels like the first day of summer so I am going swimming!

Then I am going to make a terrarium.

I find these enchanting, creepy and sweet.

{plus: check out these beautiful modern terrariums by Paula Hayes.}

{photographs via ffffound! & International Chapter of the Junior Society}

1 2 3

2009-05-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

taking it all in

1. listen: flying over bustops

2. consider: best places to work

3. smile: one cute shark

{photograph by James Cooper}

p.s. half rex, you never cease to amaze me!

the closet: orla kiely

2009-05-29T01:35:00.000-07:00

*timeless*

i got trapped in the perfect storm and her name is orla kiely.

{found via darling dexter}

voyage: san francisco

2009-05-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

{Crissy Field} soft colors in the sand

{Crissy Field} two swimmers with a dog paddling behind

{Crissy Field} fishing

{Crissy Field} chased by swallows

{Duboce Triangle} happy as a clam with flowers in my hair

p.s. thanks to dan & fiesty horse for taking me to nopalito

for the most delicious fish tacos & house-made popsicles.

furr

2009-05-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

happy weekend!

here's a song about change, where

a boy turns wolf turns man,

by blitzen trapper

(a band i fell for this year at coachella).

in keeping, boy sees girl,

fur turns to skin,

and I am now off to san francisco

to see a dear friend get hitched.

congrats andy!

hip hooray for change

in whatever form we find her.

1 2 3 : anywhere but here

2009-05-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

wednesday discoveries:

1. plastic zoo and sea life polaroids

2. i've got mad accent skills, check yours here

3. this guy and his america

{photograph by e.soule}

solstice canyon & secrets

2009-05-19T00:12:00.000-07:00

{Solstice Canyon - Malibu, California} This weekend, I took a hike in Solstice Canyon and explored the remains of the Roberts' family home, which sits at the trail's end in the cool Tropical Terrace. Built in the 1960s, this home in the woods burned down in 1982.

I came across mysterious ruins, pretty pools, a thirty foot waterfall, and a hidden statue of the Virgin Mary. This place is the Canyon's beautiful little secret. I later learned that giraffes, camels, deer and other exotic animals once roamed the property! How totally lovely...

voyage: escape to japan

2009-05-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

It's been years since I've visited Japan, where my grandma is from, and these travel photos from Alix have me itching to go back. The sakura in the Shinjuku Gyoen garden and the geisha of Gion (Kyoto's traditional pleasure center) are enchanting. I visited Kyoto last as a teenage girl but to this day, it remains one of the most beautiful places in my memory.

If you need a tiny break today, take a few minutes and follow Alix on her Japanese voyage.

{images by Alix via The Cherry Blossom Girl}

voyage: windup and go

2009-05-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Afternoon Travel

Traveling Green: Cave View

Traveling Green: Autumn Farm

Traveling Green: Moon Beach

These prints from my friend and artist Joey Chou remind me that it's time for a voyage. Where are you going this summer?

{prints via Joey Art and available for purchase here}

Reminder

2009-05-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

(for sweet Q...and all who have been feeling a bit down lately)

my recipe for feeling better:

1. freak out now

2. run away

3. to somewhere new

4. grab a summer drink

5. and find something rare

{0. image via ffffound! 1. design by olly moss 2. image via ffffound! 3. image via ffffound! 4. recipe via L.A. In Bloom 5. image via ffffound!}

1 2 3 : Reading Havens

2009-05-15T01:06:00.000-07:00

3 perfect places to pop a squat and read.

happy weekend!

{1 - photograph via design crush, 2 - photograph via daisy pink cupcake, 3 - photograph via double takes 2}

Karl the Porcupine Pufferfish

2009-05-14T00:42:00.001-07:00

Meet Karl, a sweet porcupine pufferfish who lives at 826 Valencia, a pirate supply store in San Francisco. If you don't know already, all proceeds from the sold booty go to fund the student writing/tutoring center resting directly behind the shop. Sheer brilliance.

In Los Angeles, the Echo Park Time Traveler's Mart does the same to help kids.

Go pick up some goods!

(volunteer or for more information...click here)

{via 826Valencia store}

Love & Letters

2009-05-13T01:14:00.000-07:00

These new LOVE stamps are so pretty.

I'm going to write a letter, stick it in an envelope, and mail it to someone I love.

Mom's Day

2009-05-10T00:26:00.000-07:00

(mom, me and papa smurf)

happiest of days mama!

i love you.

words: the junk & the diamonds

2009-05-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today I'm beat from all the rowing. Looking to get lost in the twilight with a good story.

"Why did storytellers tell stories, and why did you listen? Citizens might as well wonder, “What is life?” And since you ask and since I’m here, I’ll tell you. Life is two things. First: Life is a boat. All day long you row your boat. And while you row, you see things, you hear things, you do things until your boat is full. That’s the first part of life. You in your boat. Then comes the second part: you go ashore. In the day, you gather. In the night, you dream.

Life is two things. Life is a boat and life is a dream. In the day you made your way across the sea and now at night in your coastal camp, you stare into the fire and all the contents of your day’s cargo display themselves in the flames. The junk and the diamonds, the smoke of lust and the rough knotted rope of grief, a montage in the fire. An overwhelming montage. And a feeling of despair and hope. The despair says, “I will drown and I will never understand anything.” But hope says, “Wait.”

When the day is done and we’re left to ourselves, when the fire punches a circle in the dark, we look to a storyteller with a tale to tell. Because the right story enlists your soul in its enterprise. It’s the soul that sees gods in the constellations. And I would venture to say that for most of us in this room, our souls are under-employed. I believe when I die in the other world, I will continue to get the morning paper. And I expect in the other world when I read the morning paper, the headline will be “Soul Unemployment Hits New High.”

Maybe that’s why we come together here. Our bodies are employed, our hearts are employed, but our souls are looking for a position. We are journeyman wanderers with our wealth upon our back, lost at twilight, and the right story sets us to building a cottage for the night."

- John Patrick Shanley {“Playwright’s Delight” on PRI Selected Shorts}

melted

2009-05-06T00:16:00.000-07:00

Walking around my neighborhood late this evening, I was blown this way and that by warm wet winds. Los Angeles is a tropical island tonight. And I am a jellyfish floating in the street.

La Vispera (on the eve of). A woodblock/metal engraving I picked up in San Jose by Costa Rican artist Paul Solano.

voyage: costa rica rewind

2009-05-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

This time last year I was in Costa Rica. Let's go back...

***

{17 May 2008 : Dominical} Surfing then chowing down at Tortilla Flats.

***

{29 April 2008 : San Jose to Limon} I smell the color green, papayas and rain. It is bright and fresh and beautiful here. Lucky me. I might have lost my sense of direction but I’m alright now.

***

{30 April 2008 : Tortuguero} Daryl Loth, a Canadian naturalist gives tours and plays innkeeper at Casa Marbella. He first came to Tortuguero to run a biological research station and never left. When asked why, he simply said, “I fell in love...and so I made a life here.” Isn't that the sweetest thing?

***

{30 April 2008 : Tortuguero} In the moonlight along the shore, I saw Leatherback turtle hatchlings flipping and flopping their way from sand to sea. Soon after I saw a shooting star and the only wish that came to mind was to see a momma turtle. And I did! She was as long as I am tall and as wide I can spread my arms.

She was magnificent.

{photograph from National Geographic}

***

{10 May 2008 : Montezuma} Montezuma is magic. Time stands still. The rain falls. Lightning strikes. And every morning is beautiful.

***

{12 May 2008 : Playa Espadilla} : I surfed today. I want to do this forever.

***

{20 May 2009} Fin.

the closet: ghosts

2009-02-11T00:16:00.000-08:00

I want to troll the streets of this town in ghostly grey leather while avoiding the ghosts who broke my heart before I met you.

{photographs via Le Blog de Betty}

Lust, Caution

2008-11-15T16:03:00.001-08:00

I finally watched Lust, Caution and was gently blown away by Ang Lee. This erotic espionage thriller, based on a 20-page novella by Chinese writer Aileen Chang and set in 1942 Japanese occupied Shanghai, tells the love story of Wang Chia-Chie, a young patriotic female Chinese student turned assassin and Yee, a sadistic Chinese official collaborating with the Japanese government, played by Tony Leung. The student's mission is to seduce Yee but she, in turn, becomes a victim of love herself.

What I love about Ang Lee is that he directs this film with the attention of a lover. Slowly, quietly and carefully. Then without restraint, he carries you away. Kinda like love. Best of all, I had no clue as to how the story would unfold, which I found to be an addictive thrill. Kinda like love too.

Coffee Courtyard in Venice

2008-11-11T12:27:00.000-08:00

On Abbot Kinney Blvd., just east of California, you will find a mellow courtyard containing mismatching tables and chairs, a giant red metal sculpture, self serve $2 Intelligentsia coffee, a magazine stand, and an intimate kickback-with-the-music-softly-playing-from-the-outdoor-speaker vibe.

This is the perfect place to sit and sip for these four fantastic reasons:

1. No attitude: just a guy sitting at a makeshift outdoor counter with a tip jar.

2. No crowd: just locals getting away from the other locals.

3. No nonsense: pump the delicious coffee yourself in a cup or take it to go.

4. No judgment: bring a smoke, a dog, all the hours you have left in the day...all are welcome.

dola newstand
1423 1/2 abbot kinney blvd
venice 90291

{photograph from abbot kinney online}

We did it!

2008-11-05T22:47:00.000-08:00

{Stickers available at moveon.org}

the closet: pretty, single & lucky

2008-10-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

Why yes, I am.

These rings say it all en español : bonita, soltera, y suerte. And they are handmade, my favorite kind of made, like so many other finds at LAMA: Latin America In the Modern Age.

podcast love

2008-10-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

Last month, while on a project in downtown Los Angeles, I had to work with four other people all day long in a small room with no windows. We had a lot to say to one another at first but then, after a few weeks, not so much. Thanks to my coworker Jacob, who happens to have the same name as my preschool crush and my favorite dog in San Francisco, I was introduced to my new love - the podcast. So I started downloading and listening to everything from X Minus One, a fun science fiction radio show from the fifties, to Radio Lab, where I developed my first voice crush on co-host Jad Abumrad. Best of all, I had New Yorker Fiction read to me by other writers and was quickly reminded of why I love short stories. Because they RULE. I especially loved Dance In America by Lorrie Moore, read by Louise Erdrich:

I tell them dance begins when a moment of hurt combines with a moment of boredom. I tell them it's the body's reaching, bringing the air to itself. I tell them it's the heart's triumph, the victory speech of the feet...It's life giving death the bird.

Soon after listening to this, I went to the library, checked out a book by Moore, and headed to the park to read. Thanks to podcasts, which introduced me to more and more interesting subjects, I'm reading more now than ever before.

Viva la podcast.