By proxy

I know that sometimes you use this blog to find pictures of the wee ones. I will not disappoint. Here is a collection of photos that do not fit into blog posts.

Including the states we live in drawing series, opening presents, looking cute, my need of a root job, and playing hockey. I was able to catch a quick hockey game of Evan's before I left town. He scored a goal which was awesome.

Daisy spectacular!!

I am a little bummed that the Great Gatsby isn't coming out this christmas. I was excited to see it with the Baz Luhrman fans in my family. I even read the book in preparation. Sadly it was moved suddenly to May. I blame the us association of garden party professionals.

I love learning about new things in Los Angeles. My second opportunity in costume was the annual Great Gatsby party.

If you play close attention to your shopping surroundings, gatsby has had an influence on current fashion. It wasn't hard this year to find party worthy clothing. The dress i found at tj max, the faux pearls at target. What i thought would be a day of scouring through costume shops and spending hundreds just renting a dress, was just two stops in culver city.

My date and i got ready in my apartment and went full costume for martini's and steaks at Taylor's. It didn't even phase the other people enjoying their dinner. I guess this is normal. We cabbed to the historic Park Plaza Hotel overlooking MacAurthur Park.

Unfortunately because they didn't have a coat check and my camera was so large, i couldn't bring the camera. Maybe next year i'll buy a cheap point and shoot. I wish though that i could have because Great Gatsby folks don't mess around. Everyone was dressed up, a vast sea of flowers, sequins, fingerwaves, cigarette holders and btw none of the cheap halloween store flapper packs.

There were four ballrooms playing different types of music. My favorite was a 19 piece New Orleans vaudville jazz band. My date tried to teach me to dance, but it was pretty hopeless. Not even the signature drink of st. Germain and champagne could correct my two left feet.

My life in costume

Halloween isn't as popular as i had hoped in los angeles. Holidays in general are more muted, less festive. I have always loved halloween, loved dressing up, being creative. I finally moved somewhere where i don't have to wear my costume over thermal underwear underneath a parka and no one really wants to play along. Although i probably would fit in in my holiday celebration of one say in Venice for example just add sandwich board with writings of the apocalypse yet to come. (So glad that didn't happen, aren't you?)

I did however get to dress up twice this year, but not for halloween. A couple years back i wrote a post about the Diade los Muertos celebration at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. I had hoped to bring you photos of me in 2011 dressed in calavera make up, i am only behind one year i guess.

There are surprisingly a lot of videos on youtube on how to do this makeup. I watched several before i came up with this look(pictured below somewhere i can't figure out how to place photos in ipad yet) this took about 45 minutes to do including hair. You'd think with how pale i am that i wouldn't have a hard time looking white, but that is about 3 coats of make up.

My friends T and my co-worker from my after school prgm days in minnesota and her husband joined me. Although both California natives, they had never been. See us all pictured below in he foyer of my apartment building.

By the time we got there it was too crowded to see the ofrendss. We grabbed some tacos and walked around and mainly people watched. People really went all out and gave me inspiration for next year. The night ended with a concert by headlining band Ozomatli.

It is amazing what $10 and a little halloween make up can get you in LA.

Here are more pictures from the night:

Oh the weather outside....

I end 2012 as I do every year up north reflecting on the past year. Happily the world did not end so i can share some of the last half of 2012 with you. I did start a few blog posts, but got distracted by my busy life. (All good things i assure you)

So here i am up north the day before christmas or super holiday time whatever persuasion you are, the day before all of the nieces and nephews descend upon us writing and catching up. Because you know once they come, it is a fury of cuddling, building forts, reading, coloring and more fun stuff i forgot that i liked. Like spinning in circles. Remember when that was fun? Now it just makes me want to take an aspirin.

I hope you all have a merry christmas. I will be sharing as many photos as i can.

Be merry, but be safe.

Xoxo-k