what do you do when it is 113

On the last Monday in September Los Angeles broke its own record for heat, which stood since 1877. It was 113 or rather the official thermometer broke when it read 113.

Anyone who complains on the day after labor day about summer being over, needs to just shut their mouths because if it can be 113+ so close to October how can summer be over. Sorry a pet peeve, I digress.

So what exactly do you do when it is that hot out? Since I am so grounded in nature, I went tide pooling with my mid-western friends. This was our first time at the tide pools at Point Dume, which is a bit north of Malibu. What we were supposed to see were new creatures, like nudibranch (here I will google that for you so you don't get something weird-click here ) and different sea stars, but what we saw was nothing. Which was fine because I had another opportunity to use my camera and feel an ocean breeze, so plus-plus.

Here are some photos:

(on top of Point Dume looking down)

(We came across this vast field of muscles and a bright orange sea star hiding in their midst, or probably more likely eating them)

(sunset bird feeding time on Point Dume Beach)

By the time this is posted, I will have visited the tide pools at Doheny Beach, so hopefully there will be more to share.

7 away

Can you believe that I am 7 posts away from my 450th post? or rather 6 now. This started for me just a silly thing for me to keep connected with family and prevent me from having to call all of you when I saw a celebrity and a way to keep myself busy and not feeling so lonely as I tried to adjust to life here.

Like all great shows I have had two spin offs. One that was canceled in its first season called "we are here" produced by the amazing mandu and another that is going strong by coey of minsk called S+N+B+F.

I am hoping that you are still enjoying this.

I am wondering what your favorite posts have been, maybe I can do a greatest hits.

You know my email, but if not please write me at eyemheer2@yahoo.com

I'd love to hear from you and am wondering if there are any other blog spinoffs I should be aware of.

Another CA first

I am still having a lot of firsts in Los Angeles, even after 4 + years. Upon a friends suggestion, because of all I have been going through in my search for a roommate and love here, I went to a psychic.

Psychics,like therapists, are everywhere in LA and the surrounding areas. I guess there are more people out here looking for answers. Like all things you should take what they say with a grain of salt and although she may very well have the gift, she was a good advice giver and when I kind of needed a direction to focus my energies.

When we sat down she asked if we could sit for a couple minutes so that she could get a feeling about me. So we sat, I was supposed to write questions I had, but I had them packed into my brain already, for two minutes.

Here is what she said:
I have a generous spirit-check
I am kind-check
sweet energy-check
I feel grounded in nature- umm yes, I love tide pooling but camping is not something I look forward to with any type of fondness
I have a tenderness toward animals-ummm, I like to eat them especially when they are tender-I guess a stretch

So at that point, I wasn't really sure what to think.

I won't go into what I asked her or whether or not I feel like it will come to fruition, but I just want to say that before I saw her, I was having panic attacks about my life and that after I felt like I had something to focus on. And whether or not it is true it is nice to hear that I won't die alone in a studio apartment, childless with 10 cats.

MILK

I both love and hate that I live so close to MILK . After feeding our savory sides at Shik Do Rak we headed straight for MILK for ice cream and whatever else we could find which is a lot if you look through their menu.

My favorite by far is the grasshopper/mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich, which is mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiched between two mint flavored macaroons with one side dipped in dark chocolate.

As we were ending out ladies night of gluttony I spied Anna Kendrick who you may know from Up in the Air and the Twilight series.

I actually see a lot of people at MILK, because hey, everyone likes ice cream.

I just realized that all of these last posts are all food related. I don't know why, says the girl who on Saturdays plops in front of the tv with a grilled cheese and watches food shows on public television all day.

I think I have a problem, but at least I hope I have made you hungry,

like a chimpmunk

I have friends in town from Minneapolis currently and I wrote a bunch of posts on Sunday just so you had something to read while I was away. I will write about these new adventures when I get back, but for now enjoy my past.

and on a continuation of the festival of nations

(which somehow both involved cabbage delicacies)

I finally after living in LA for almost 5 years and being so close to Koreatown tried Korean BBQ. I have wanted to try it for at least two years but was pretty much blinded by the overwhelming choice of BBQ joints in the area. Well over 50 restaurants in a 5 square mile radius with names like Sa Rit Gol, Soot Bull Jeep and Chosun Galbi; I really needed a tour guide for a place I could take a 5 minute bus ride to. (By the way another thing I love about being here is that you can be so close to a completely different culture. See Anthony Bordain's No Reservation show on Los Angeles)

My friend chose Shik Do Rak, on 1st and Western, for us and I don't think there could have been a better choice. New to the experience it was great to have someone explain how it works.

When you sit down little dishes of things are placed across the table, Kimchi of various types (also a first for me-and the cabbage reference in the first line of this post) vinegar pickled cucumbers, fish cake (so good) pickled radishes, spicy pepper and peanut sauces and plenty of rice paper. (See pictured)

You order meats which is always various and wonderful cuts of beef, although for the more daring and non-united states centric palates there are plenty of intestines, stomach and other bits to choose from. I didn't choose to go that way. We chose Galbi, which you can see pictured as frozen curls of frozen beef and deckle which is a brisket, skirt steak cut.

You cook the meat to your desired doneness on the grill in the middle of your table. Don't sit too close or you will burn your legs. When it is how you like it you wrap it in rice paper with whatever you want from the table and eat and cook some more until you are so full you can hardly see.

There was also plenty of soju and this great potato noodle dish that is now calling to me from the refrigerator.

I have been thinking about Korean BBQ since I had Korean BBQ so I will definitely be back and will probably be in my new tour repetoire if non-vegetarians come to visit.

Oktoberfest

One fateful Halloween last year my old roommate and I met up with this couple at my favorite local. We ended up at their house with the entire bar celebrating Halloween until 4:am, which was the night before, or rather the morning of the day that I moved into the apartment I am in now.

It seem that they had just finished a couple weeks previous, their 1st annual Oktoberfest celebration. Everyone there went on an on about how fantastic it was. It became evident that these people went all out. Homemade beer, a 24 hour blitzkreig of homemade pretzel, sauerkraut and brat making (yes homemade veal and pork goodness) It made my mouth water for about a year.

So as the second annual Oktoberfest approached I had to make sure I was on the guest list, especially since this year promised to out Oktober the last. I even bought a costume. See me pictured with my good friend T, in costume with polka band in background.


Part of the going out this year involved a make shift polka band of local friend musicians, called "Polka, I hardly now her" There were such polka favorites as "ya ya ya, nine nine nine" and the lalala song that you just sing la la la for a while and then bier at the end.

Although I debated hard about having a brat as pork seems to be another issue of mine, I did manage to talk myself into two, which were the best bratwurst I have ever tasted and when in doubt homemade sauerkraut will be on of the best choices you will ever make nevermind the vat festering in your kitchen because once you have tasted homemade, that jar you get at the grocery store that is slightly brown will repulse you.

That day I lost my struggle as being gluten free was an epic fail and glad I had Sunday to sleep and blog which is all I could do.

Until next year. Ein Prosit!

8, 9, 10

To finish my count down and move on to my most recent California adventures or misadventures here are items 8, 9 & 10

8. Yes, I made it and had a mint oreo blizzard, which is my favorite. I think the only DQ here is in Compton, I don't think I'll make it there.

9. No, no lake fish this time.

10. Yes, there was actually a liquor store in town that carried gluten free beer I was shocked, but very happy to float in circles in the pool with a red bridge an sunburn my troubles away

Next on I am Here....
Oktoberfest- Yavol!!
My first Korean BBQ experience
Star sighting of the twilight kind
What to do when in is 113
the grueling roommate search

click click click

I promise that all of the photos from Minnesota will be up today.

I also wanted to let you know that I saw two people from my new favorite show, Modern Family.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Reid Ewing

If you have not watched the show, which I think is a huge mistake, you can find some episodes online at abc.com and hulu

List items 3 & 4

Grills make me thankful that I am not a vegetarian, I know that sounds awful, but they do. The only thing I do not like about living in my fantastic apartment is that I no longer have an outside space to cook. So when I have the opportunity to have bbq-ed meats I do. The closest thing in LA I have that tastes like it has been cooked outside (well, now that I think about it, it has) Is the Brazilian place in the Farmer's Market called Pampas Grill. My mom makes some great Bbq-ed chicken.

Seeing lightning bugs. I guess it is just a Spring thing. I didn't see any.

before I forget-sightings

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of seeing restored Charlie Chaplin films at the Silent Movie Theater. This was my first experience seeing a Chaplin film, I know shocking since I am such a movie nerd. The films we saw were:

The Idle Class and City Lights. Both fantastic and very funny. Can't wait to go and see more.

Also there I saw Jason Ritter, who you may know from a tv show called The Class, which I kind of liked, a new show coming out called "the Event" and a little film with my very first boyfriend called "The Perfect Age of Rock and Roll" His Dad is also the late John Ritter.

I am kicking myself, because I didn't go...because I came back to LA and got a very nasty cold that left me incapacitated for a couple days, but I had an invitation to the opening of Kat Von D's gallery called Wonderland. You may have heard about her first Red Carpet appearance with her new beau Jesse James. (Who I am sure you have heard about by now)

I was just too sick and would have been fine just looking at the art, but all of the photogs, the taping of two reality shows and the desire to be on, would have been just a little too much.

Oh well, there is always next time.

Items 5 & 6

I did walk in the rain for a minute on my way around Lake Calhoun, just a few sprinkles and no thunder and lighting but I was hoping. I did hear rain and thunder and lighting up north as well as saw the glimmers of the later, but didn't see the light show I wanted simply because there are too many trees. Which is hardly a complaint.

So kind of a check and check.

photos and more photos

As you will see from the photostream I am very excited about my new camera. I have posted so many new photos that I have maxed out my flickr account, which forced me to upgrade. I will post more once my account is fully upgraded.

Until then enjoy.

List item 2-Walk around one of the MPLS chain of lakes

The first true sign of summer in Minneapolis, was your first walk around one of the Minneapolis chain of Lakes (Harriet, Calhoun, Isles) A time to shed your parkas and show your fish belly white legs and arms and see people you could hardly recognize under scarves, hats, mittens, etc.

Even though it was overcast and raining a bit, I had to walk around Calhoun, especially after stuffing myself full of Punch Pizza (I know, not gluten free, but an essential part of the lake walk experience)

It was nice to walk and talk with my friend Janie who is an excellent tour guide and took me to some of our old haunts, the Nicollet Mall farmers market, and to see how much Uptown has changed. The restaurant I used to work at is gone, the Uptown Bar is now the largest Apple store in the US, Calhoun Square is a ghost town.

It's true, you can never go home again.

The picture above is a view of the mpls skyline from Calhoun and is one of the last photos taken from the camera I got 6 years ago. It had been with me in France, Italy, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, Monaco, Bryce Canyon, Zion.... but it is starting to turn everything blue.

I bought a new camera on this trip and it is fantastic, can't wait to show you all of the photos.

List item number 1-See family of course

The majority of my ten day vacation was seeing family, of course. It has been way too long since seeing NoNo, especially with the baby model photos, I needed to see all of that beautifulness with my own two eyes.

(um could she be any happier)

I was in town for my mom's birthday. Where we ate a Florio's of course. (where the fried chicken rival's Rooks)



I had a brief foray into camping and actually cooked my own hot dog on a stick. (Gasp!)And camping calls for the Johnsons and Pearsons of course.




Then as I was leaving I had the opportunity to see Reeeda, Er-ee, Arne and Carol for a nice lunch where we ate until we were in food comas and yelled "We love you guys" and followed them down the driveway waving goodbye like good Minnesotans of course.



I did miss seeing Evan just by three days, which is a bummer of course.

to do list

As I am preparing to go back to Minnesota I am thinking about all the things I want to do when I am home.

1. See family, of course
2. Walk around one of the lakes in the Minneapolis chain of lakes
3. Eat food cooked on the grill, the majority of the days
4. See lightning bugs
5. Experience a downpour
6. See lightning, storm or heat
7. See a movie I secretly want to see, but would be too embarrassed to tell anyone about because up north movies cost a lot less to see
8. Go to the DQ
9. Eat lake fish
10. lay on the good floaty in the pool and read and have a beer


I am sure there is more, but I need to save some room for being spontaneous.

guess who got the memo

Sometimes when you spend a lot of time with people you show up at work dressed alike, randomly. Here is me with a couple of my workmates on a day that we thought to ourselves in the morning, without warning, that mustard and black looked mighty fine together.

What are "they" wearing

It seems like everywhere I go this summer the staple must have is TOMS . What are TOMS you may ask? I guess the best answer is the keds of this generation. And like this generation they have a social justice angle; every pair you buy means another pair donated to a child in a third world country.

Is this an advertisement for TOMS? No. You just wanted to know what was going on fashion-wise on LA, but if you bought a pair, that wouldn't be so bad.

i knew...

I knew it would happen sooner or later. I knew that this experiment of a blog, my love affair with Los Angeles, would bring someone out here. My fiendish plan worked.

(evil laughter)

We are not men, we are Devo

What I love about Los Angeles is its propensity to provide one of a kind experiences. From surprise Q & As from directors after the film to flash mob at Hollywood and Highland.

I took part in one such one of a kind experience a few weeks ago. (wow, I guess I haven't written in a while) I had the pleasure of seeing Devo at Hollywood Park. Hollywood Park is not to be confused with the Hollywood Bowl. Hollywood Park is in fact a race track smack dab in the middle of Inglewood. I must admit that watching horseracing made me nostalgic for the Arlington days, dressing up, watching the horses parade around and picking the one we thought would win.

Anyway I digress.

I didn't bet this time. I have learned that after 30 + years that I just don't win things.

It seemed all of Los Feliz and Silver Lake (hipsterville) descended on Hollywood Park to see Devo in their fedoras and capes??

I was pleasantly surprised that after all these years Devo still offers a very consistent, excellent show with many costume changes. I wasn't really a Devo fan before, but now am and found myself singing along to songs I didn't even know they did.

The planes flying in to LAX added and oh my god, I can't believe I am here factor.

I heard that they played the Minnesota Zoo and I am not sure, but perhaps a Petco in Cleveland

It's been a while hasn't it

I realized when I was walking past the film set that has become my street that I haven't written a blog post in a while.

I have been gathering posts through life experience.

Does everyone like the new background? I changed it a couple weeks back. Looks very California right?

happy 4th!!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th!!

sad

If any of you have been long time readers of this blog you may remember that the weekend I moved in Amy Locane (Cry Baby, Melrose Place) was staying with us. I was very sad to hear today that she was charged for vehicular manslaughter from a DUI.

Not sure what else to say.

out and about

So here is the rundown of who I have seen in the past couple days.

Jennifer Coolidge
Tim Bagley
Brett Ratner

triple H...

:Watch your head or
:Look what a little oil money can do


I finally found a willing participant to tour Aline Barnsdall's Hollyhock House with me a few weeks ago. It is a sprawling estate on top of Barnsdall Hill, in the Los Feliz neighborhood, built for the oil heiress in the '20s. You can tell by the quote from Frank Lloyd Wright that he and Aline did not see eye to eye. I think he was fired and re-hired from the project at least once.

We unfortunately got a tour guide that had only done the tour once before, that day. She couldn't really elaborate beyond what her little note cards said. Also the tour was colored by these two yokels who loved loved loved puns and joking around. So whenever the guide told us to..

"watch our heads"
They replied "Well, I think we would need a mirror for that."
They were in their 50s, no excuse.

Hollyhock is a gorgeous maze of a house that has been fantastically restored. Frank Lloyd Wright has great attention to detail and made a lot of interesting functional pieces. This house was built in what seems like a Mayan phase as you can see with the "abstraction" of the Hollyhock seen below:



















(Do you see the flower in the geometrical shapes)
And the other houses he built in the area like the Ennis House and Sowden House which you may have seen in a couple commercials and a season of America's next top model. (by the way you can rent Sowden house for $3,900 a night)

A lot of what we saw were replicas and adjustments, since the house went through some ownership changes after Barnsdall left, including the USO who demolished the kitchen and turned it into a formica hell.

Aline had envisioned a artist compound with a theater, gallery and studio, much of which is still standing and is being used for that very purpose.

I recommend going at $8 a ticket. I think I will do it again soon, maybe the tour guide will be off cards.

mi vida loca

Believe it or not, I am still celebrating my birthday. I had a rain check dinner on Thursday, I have a rain check dinner this week (cooked for me, which is nice) and a yet to be determined outing, probably to a Korean Pirate Bar. (yes, you read correctly)

It is nice to feel so loved.

I am still settling into my new job. They have yet to find a new replacement for my old job. It has been two and a half months, starting to feel slightly taken advantage of.

Stars: None
Books: Still the Savage Detectives, started Tender at the Bone, by Ruth Reichl and I and since I am a believer in fate and since a couple of the books I have read keep pointing me back to Ulysses by James Joyce, I will be tackling this coming next month. Wish me luck.
Movies: I was disappointed in "Get Him to the Greek" I really wanted to laugh. I would recommend it to 18 year old boys.

I will be writing about some highlights in the next couple days. I realize I haven't written a while, but you know what they say about time....

h

Happy father's day!!!

I hope you like your prize!

because this is how I do things

I am in the midst of a two week long celebration of my birth. I guess I started celebrating my birthday for two weeks once I got to LA. Everyone has such social calendars that require a lot of advance planning and conflicts. So very LA.

It is not that I wanted to turn 34 especially. I am actually not too pleased for very personal reasons. But this is how I do things now whether I like it or not.

My birthday celebration began May 30th at the UCLA jazzreggae festival. I went to jazz day and I have to say that it wasn't very jazzy, more r & b undergroundy, but I suppose that the r&bundergroundjamjazzreggae festival isn't as catchy. I really wanted to see a new band that my friend had me tune into called Quadron.They were fantastic, but the rest of the show was off because of horrible sound and the fact that it was 90 and on an open field, needless to say that my Irish skin could not handle all of the sun.

Thursday I went out for gluten free pizza and beer at this place called Pizza Fusion. It is fantastic, gluten free and have a great view on environmental responsibility. It was nice to share a beer with friends after not being able to really drink beer. This from a girl who misses New Castle and Old Peculiar.

Gluten free red velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles are better than gluteny red velvet cupcakes.

Friday night was another glimpse of Quadron at the Echo with a friend.

Saturday was a day relaxing on the beach of Manhattan with the ladies, then getting my hair done at home.

It all ends next weekend with Beetlejuice in the cemetery. How very me?

What I have been up to-working, fundraising and museums

Job is going well, I come home very tired, but am very happy although it seems like I am living to work instead of working to live.

I have spent my free time doing my part as a local philanthropist. I supported the local Planned Parenthood chapter in their 7th annual bingo for choice event. It was fantastic, funny and I felt better knowing that I helped low income women get pre-cancer screenings as well as additional health related information.

I saw the renoir exhibit before it closed. It was great and nice to see someone who really liked painting his wife.

I also saw some performance art, and found that I am just not cut out for it. I just want to laugh.

I have been reading Savage Detectives and I really can't think of a person I would like to recommend it to.

That is it in a nutshell.

Siting- Q and A

I forgot that I had the pleasure of seeing a new movie by writing by Scott Caan called Mercy. He did a Q and A after the film, so I guess I had a siting surprise.

food and memory

Cannes 2010 is already here I see that Paris is there again butchering her French and I am doing the thing that I failed to completely do last year and that is learn French.

I kind of would like a do over of that trip for the language and a couple more reasons.

I have been thinking about my trip to France a lot lately. So I tried to re-create my favorite meal at this little Moroccan place in a small town outside of Nice. The lure of the tagine has been calling me ever since that day, that and the Moroccan mint tea service.

Chicken with olives and preserved lemons. (pictured)

I looked around a bit and found a place called Tagine (Coincidentally co-partnered by Ryan Gosling) but their menu was down on their website and I had to have chicken with preserved lemons and olive. So I chose a restaurant in West Hollywood. Fabric covered the ceiling and walls, pillows line stools and floors and couches, mirrors, beaded curtains and everything I think would be in a restaurant in Casablanca, even though I have never been. This place in LA was much unlike the place in France, very over-stated.

The food was good, we were the only people their and we got a little too much attention from the owner, who told my roommate that he would sell his camels for her.

It is funny the way food can connect you to a place.

As long as we are talking family...

Here is a site you might enjoy this week. Some of the comments are a bit risque, but there are more funny ones than inappropriate ones.



Awkward family photos.

word to your moms

To the moms we love, to the moms we lost, Happy Mother's Day.

another alien landscape

California is not just the land of celebrities, traffic and loud feverish pitch. It is a land of alien landscapes.









PS this is why you need to make sure your crude oil stays in one place

foxy reading

Last weekend I headed to the LA Times Festival of Books. I had always wanted to go, but never had a willing participant until this year.

We bussed it on down to the UCLA campus to experience the festival in full force. (they said later that there were around 130, 000 people who attended. I think they were all there on Sunday with me) There were tents upon tents of vendors, publishers, food, bookstores. It was very overwhelming and in a good way. I never thought that many people in LA read.

I did get the chance to see Pam Grier talk about her new book called "Foxy: My Life in Three Acts" she seemed nervous.

Next time I go, I am going with a plan.

What are you reading? leave a comment or email me

Sometimes....

Sometimes you have to travel south to go back in time. ( I learned this from Jose Luis Borges)

I tagged along on a trip to San Diego. Traffic was bad because it was also the weekend of Coachella. (a music festival that I would classify as Woodstock for hipsters) Since it was taking forever for a 2 hour trip we decided to make a couple of side trips. Leslie and I talked about tastes that remind us of being a kid, her's is Swiss Orange Chip ice cream from Swensen's Which we recreated at Coffee Bean with an ice-blended orange mocha.

When we entered Buena Park, CA, I turned to her and asked her..

"Have you ever had a Chicago Dog before"
"Like the one at Pink's" She asked.
I laughed and said "No one at Pink's has ever been to Chicago."

And we drove to Portillo's. Yes, the Chicago chain has finally made it to LA.



Leslie said it was the best hot dog she had ever had and talked about it for days. Me, I was lost in the nostalgic moments and happiness that a Chicago Dog brings me.

Happiness is a warm bun

Star siting of the golden glove kind

Last week my cubicle mates took me out to celebrate my promotion. We ventured to Palomino in West Wood. (i.e. the area around the UCLA campus) This is a great restaurant to see deals being made with agents, and people who want to be noticed by agents, managers etc. We have a Palomino in Minneapolis, but it isn't nearly as interesting.

During this excursion we saw Sugar Ray Leonard having lunch. My back was to him most of the time. I think one of the girls got a picture.

emails, please

I sent out an email of some recent work related news and got several bounce backs. If you want to be on the listserve to get little snippets that I am not posting, please email me at eyemheer2@yahoo.com

Writer's block

I completely have writer's block.

I haven't seen anyone out and about
The springs fashion trends are so varied(my roommate and I seriously watched this fashion segment that said this spring trends are short, long, bright colored, neon, but not neon, military, floral) Everyone in LA is wearing all of these
I haven't been exploring
I haven't been reading
I think all of the things I found strange about LA have now become completely normal.

I am wondering if anyone wants to submit something? Maybe you are not ready to commit to an entire blog, maybe you want to share some news? have you seen any celebs? Tell me all about it, this is a family blog after all.

I am taking submissions just until I can get this promotion under my belt

When we last left I am here....

...she had just got home from dying easter eggs, fat from eating BBQ-ed meat and anxiously awaiting a promotion.

Well, she is waiting no longer because this week she has been promoted.

Very much a yay moment for me.

I have to wait for my boss to get back from Italy to tell me exactly what it will entail, but I am very excited.

All of this I cannot tell you about on the blog, but know that I am happy.

happy easter

two birds

I'm in jail.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy April Fool's Day.

constellations

Stars seen:
nada
zip
zero
no one

BTW

400 entries on this blog.

I hope you are enjoying.

Book it

I wish there was Book it for adults because I would so be on my way to a free pizza at this moment. I have been reading so much.

Here is what I have finished in the last couple months:
People of the Book
Down and out in Paris and London-George Orwell
The Tao of Wu- by the Rza
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (The best book I have read in two years)

Now I am reading:
Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Are you reading anything good?

Whale watching 2nd attempt

Last weekend we, not the same group one was too disenchanted, schleped our way back to Newport Beach to see the whales.

(On a side note, I heard that if Newport flooded all the women in town would be safe because of all of the surgically implanted flotation devices.)

This time we got on the boat and did in fact see a whale. Not just any whale, but the Fin Back Whale, the second largest whale on earth. It can weigh up to 80 tons and can be equally as long. They also can swim as fast as 23 miles, so our boat had a hard time keeping up. We stalked it for a good 45 minutes before having to turn back and go home.

It was so nice to sit on a boat in the middle of the ocean for two an a half hours and relax, laugh, and just be tourists. Strangely one of the girls in our group who schleped both time is originally from West St. Paul.

Small ocean I guess.

sometimes you feel like vegging out

My favorite gluten free and vegetarian dish is this:

Take all of your favorite veggies like:
Asparagus
Mushrooms
Red and yellow peppers
zucchini
Onions (do not trim root end off)

But any farmers market finds will work

Toss them in olive oil, pepper and garlic powder. Pre-heat your oven to 375 and cook for at least a half an hour, but until you get to your desired veggie tenderness.

While you are waiting for that take that polenta that is already cooked in that tube, cut off thick pancake-like rounds and fry them up. (if you are motivated you can make polenta from scratch, but I am not that motivated)

When finished put a bit of spaghetti sauce on each disk, a bunch of veggies, sprinkle shaved Parmesan to your liking and eat happily.

(I bring home my polenta and fry it up in a pan, because I am a woman...)

Whale watching 1st attempt

I swear I would never be one of those adults who said "expletive teenagers", but I will call part one of this trip "expletive teenagers"

"Expletive Teenagers" by Kristen

It was a beautiful but windy February day..

For my friend's birthday she organized (in an organized way that only grandpa can appreciate) a whale watching trip on a boat from Newport Beach, which is kind of a schlep from Los Angeles. So four of us jumped in car and schleped to "The O.C" and were very excited to do some whale stalking as I like to call it. We bought some whale stalking tickets on a boat serendipitously called "The Amigo" or "Friend" in Spanish from three teenagers in an office located next to the "Fun Zone" We got our tickets and headed across the sidewalk to our boat "The Amigo"

We sat staring at the Amigo and 2:20 came, and we thought shouldn't we be getting on soon? And at 2:30 I decided that maybe I would try to get on the boat myself (an exercise in being more proactive) but was told that "Oh, they will come and get you when they are ready to board" and then 2:40 came and our Amigo had no signs of departure.

So we when back into the office where the teenage boy who sold us the tickets was trying to get his flirt on with the older (19 maybe) office manager and asked him what the deal was.

"uh, the boat doesn't leave from this dock, it leaves on the other side of the blue gray building." (note: all of the buildings on the pier are blue gray)

and we said "but our boat is the Amigo and you told us to wait outside"




"Oh, we ran out of tickets for the other boat"

So we ran (which I only use in case of emergency) and stopped after every blue gray building, and of course it was the last one.

and it left without us.

so we got half off tickets for the next time.

"Expletive teenagers"

Nature spotted:
This ham of a Seagull who was posing for photos. No whales.

to be continued....

Rocky

When I stop feeling like I am on a boat in the middle of the ocean, I will write about being in a boat in the middle of the ocean.

gaffa-gaffaw

There is nothing more California than a convertible. There is nothing more LA than the Pekingese inside of that convertible wearing miniature sunglasses.

ruminations on the 82nd Oscars

SJp...cheeto...bedsheet... Princess Amadalia hair

Opening number awkward and unrehearsed but I still love you Neal Patrick Harris

Miss Oscar stole my jolene jolene hairstyle

What happened no Farrah?

Yay no Beyonce this year

Best Dressed: Demi and Sandra
Worst dressed: SJP and Charlize

What did you think?

Heaven

My work stood in as the scene of Valhalla today for the comic book movie Thor. Or at least that is what I think. All kinds of rumors about who was actually on set today don't really match up to any movie that I could find on IMDB.

All I know is the costumes were very shogun, viking futuristic and the hair took its queue from last nights Oscars.

I was just able to catch little glimpses of things, mostly gaffers, DPs and extras.

It was all the buzz in the office today.

I'll keep you posted on re-shoots if any.

tomorrow

Tomorrow is going to be a big day. Some of you might have heard bout it, some of you will just have to wait until tomorrow evening to hear about it.

link

I just provided a link to Coey of Minsk's blog, now after you are done reading my blog then you can read hers and vice versa.

It is that time again

Another year passes that I live here and no one has taken me up on the Oscars. Here I am in Oscar land so close that I can see it and no one comes. You talk about coming, but never do. Here I am with this awesome apartment, plenty o' room with many alarm clocks to get us up and out the door. But no, I guess you would like to watch them on t.v. with the little people.

Oh well, maybe next year.

I am on the fence about watching this year. I will be alone with no one to watch it with. (hint, hint, guilt, guilt) My roommate is at her parents house celebrating her mom's win over cancer. (Yay!)

I am excited about the hosts who are hilarious, even though Alec Baldwin did not move to Canada or France after Bush was elected to a second term and he does not put his money where his mouth is (hi, Dad)

Here is what I think:
10 films is an awful lot of films to have nominated as "Best Film". How can any film be a best film when they are all nominated?

It will be the year of the underdog and newcomer. I hope Mo'Nique wins for Precious, she was incredible, Christopher Waltz was fantastic and he made me want to go find more of his films just to watch him act. (Inglorious Basterds may be too gory for you) I hope Kathryn Bigelow shows her egomanical ex up and I want Jeff Bridges to win just because I think he is a fantastic actor.

I think that the Oscars may actually be surprising this year in its main categories.

What do you think? email me at eyemheer2@yahoo.com

Gluten free and me

A lot of you have been asking about how I am doing since going gluten free, soy free and egg free. I'd say that it is going quite well. Life is better when you feel better. I am no longer popping tums, taking daily doses of ibuprofen and no longer having the feeling that my whole body is congested. (Having congested organs is uncomfortable once you realize what it feels like to not have congested organs.)

For those of you who didn't know how it was deduced that I had these allergies, the short story is that after back to back sinus infections and being prescribed antibiotic after antibiotic,(One with nasty side effects that I will not go into detail) I decided enough was enough and I saw a NatraPath, who helped me stop getting sinus infections in the first place.

The cure for that was going gluten free, egg free and soy free.

It has been hard at times. Sometimes it is frustrating to go into grocery stores and after reading all of the labels you realize that you can't eat anything and you leave with only a steak and two apples in your grocery bag.

The plus side is that I am eating healthier. I cannot have a single salad dressing in the salad dressing aisle (here is where olive oil, dijon mustard and herbs de provence becomes your best friend also a gluten free blue cheese mixed with salt and lime juice) I cannot have a lot of the potato chips in the chip aisle, or prepackaged meals like lean cuisine and frozen pizza. No mayonnaise, which was actually hard for me. Basically what I am eating is meat,vegetables, fruits and nuts.

What you notice is that gluten hides in a lot of things you wouldn't think of like rice krispies and hot dogs. Soy is even worse, salad dressings, frozen french fries and gluten free mixes.

Some of you since having talked to me are thinking that maybe your symptoms sound the same as mine (chronically stuffed up, congested, stomach feels off after you eat a lot of things, headache-y, tired for no reason and joint ache-y, not to mention undesirable digestion issues that are unlady like to talk about publicly) and maybe you wouldn't mind trying it out and see what happens. I would say give it a month, if you do not like it, it is only a month out of your life.

I am not on a gluten free soapbox, I am not writing this to make you gluten free, soy free and egg free or be like me. I just want to share with you the resources I have found that have really helped me learn more about this lifestyle.

Go out and get a copy of Gluten Free Girl by Shauna James Ahern and read her accompanying blog called glutenfreegirl It is an autobiography of going gluten free. I would have to say that making the switch for me wasn't as easy as it was for her. Plus there are additional things I cannot eat and many of the recipes I can't try.

Read this recipe blog called elana's pantry She also recently put out a cookbook about cooking with almond flour.

You can also pick up a raw food (I know it sounds gross, but it isn't) cookbook. Wheat, soy and eggs, with the exception of edamame require cooking.

Check out this post on kitchn with comments: kitchnpost

Go to traderjoes.com and download their gluten free list here you may not have a TJs but some of the products on the list you can find at your local grocery store like Lara Bars.

Well, I hope that this post helps anyone who is looking for more information on food allergies. Sometimes you can help yourself by making simple changes like wrapping a burger in lettuce, which is my fav. I want to avoid making this into a recipe site, but maybe I will throw in a couple helpful hint here and there.

Happy reading and eating.

Pawn star sighting

I haven't seen any celebrities as of late in LA. I did however visit the pawn shop featured in the History Channel's show called Pawn Stars . I am not sure if you watch, but it is as if bikers ran the Antiques Roadshow.

I did not see anyone featured in the show's first season. I think they were all in the back. I did meet someone who will be heavily featured in next season, but I don't remember his name.

I have a problem

I have a problem with big hair. It has been a problem that has plagued me since the days of mall hair, which I never ever had with the exception of that one fateful picture day when mom persuaded me to have the Amazing Mandu do my hair because it would look "nice"

I think you can tell I am still bitter.

I remember one time at arts school I had my hair cut before a wedding and wouldn't it be great if I had it styled, wouldn't it look "nice". But it came out a big scary ratted out-shellacked bob. I looked like an idiot. I sat in the back of the car in tears pulling apart individual strands of my hair trying to minimize the hairspray density.

I have a problem with big hair.

I was in a wedding this weekend....

I think you know where this is going

I did some hair practice and was going to do my own hair, but wasn't too confident in doing it myself. I was however confident in the style I wanted. The dress was flapper-esque so I wanted something of the like. I wanted a curled low loose but tidy side bun. When I did it at home it looked great. I thought in a capable stylist's hands it would turn out fantastic.

But when the hot rollers came out and she ratted the mess out of it, it ended up looking like this:



ummm 1960's Dolly Parton anyone?

I will leave you with this song, that got stuck in my head as a result of my hair.

Jolene - Dolly Parton

safe and sound

The Amazing Mandu made it safely to the land of Ohio. Is looking for an apartment and is wowing her new clients.

I survived my weekend in Vegas and am happy that there is no reason for me to have to go back there. (I'll post pictures later)

On a topical note, when I saw Kevin Smith at jury duty and wrote about it I didn't think that he was so large that he needed to be kicked off of a plane. Having ridden Southworst, i mean Southwest, I can tell you that they breed a certain smartass-ness in their flight attendants, which quite frankly is uncalled for.

I had my own experience last weekend with a nasty stewardess who asked me to "Calm down M'am" when I tried to be helpful. I simply stated that she had already placed my drink order but not for the other two people in my row. And for that I needed to calm down.

When have you ever seen me as spazzy? Think about it.

I think they should change their motto to:
"We have cheap flights, you don't have to pay for your bags, we can treat you any way we like"

luv.

Valetines

Of course I will be your Valentine Grandpa.

cameo appearance

Last night due to an unfortunate, :), lateness of planes, the Amazing Mandu made a cameo appearance in LA.

I was a quick visit which included a tour of my new apartment, a trip to the very l.a. Wokano for sushi where everyone looks like the stars of the Hills or this Snookie that all the young people are talking about, then it was off to my favorite l.a. cafe the little next door to escape from l.a. and go to France for decent coffee. lavender macaroons and listen to French people speak French.

And as quickly as the Amazing Mandu came, she left.

rain rain go away

I remember singing that song when I was little would have some cosmic effect in stopping the rain, especially if Great America/Six Flags was somehow in the equation.

Now that we are in the second day of our STORM ALERT 2010 (did I tell you ever that Californians do not know how to deal with rain) I don't really want it to stop, because rain is one of the only things here that remind me of home.

Some pictures to tide you over

I am off this week to be the maid of honor in my best friends wedding in Vegas. I don't have a lot of time to write this week, but I thought I would post some pictures I haven't had the opportunity to post yet. Savor them until I get back.

Peonies in Nice, my favorite flowers

(This is the second in the series of antler photos by Evan, Coey and I got him a camera for Christmas. )

This is him and I sledding in the yard. I am wearing my Cindy Lou-hoo winter coat that only sees the light of day when it is snowy

Grandma and baby NoNo
(Did you realize that her intials are no lo jo-take that LiLo

Aunty Amazing Mandu

of Minsk

If you like what you see...

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eyemheer2@yahoo.com

cupcakes and actors

While I was at a bake sale fundraiser for Haiti, I saw Breckin Meyer

I had no idea he was from Minneapolis.

low tide

Sometimes it is easy to see why people come to California from all over the world. Sometimes you can be overwhelmed by all of the possibilities of every thing that there is to see here, that you can miss the little things that makes Los Angeles great. Sometimes it is months before I see the ocean.

That is just too long.

Today I went to Malibu Lagoon to explore the tide pools at low tide. Low tide happens everyday, few days are optimal and even fewer of those are on a weekend. So take those four days and think about which of those days you would like to sit in beach traffic and that leaves one day. Today was that one day.

Exploring the tide pools is like exploring an alien planet as a giant. Sometimes you step on things and it is unavoidable.

Anemone are everywhere in packs or schools curled up like flowers until water hits them, then they open up to try to catch their prey. The tentacles are poisonous to small creatures, but not to you. If you touch them, they pull themselves into these mounds, that kind of look like donuts. It is hard to capture the colors of these animals. Crystalline greens, silvery creams, pinks, purples and colors I don't think that there are names for yet. If you click to open this photo, you can probably get a better idea of their color spectrum. These things make me wish that I had a better camera.

You have to climb further out over treacherous rocks to see the good stuff like:

Lazy Sea Stars in oranges and purples.
Which when I was young we called them Star Fish. But I guess since they are not fish so they have a new name.
(Pluto will always be a planet to me too)

ps I hate when people pick these up and carry them around

Also further out toward the ocean are this crazy things called spouts that are basically animals that filter sea water for food and then spit the water out at you. I wish that I could have gotten a photo, but they do not spit on queue.

Please do not step on the cute purple spiny urchins. It will hurt, plus you will have to go to the hospital.

We also saw Sea Hares , a couple of crabs spending sometime together that I can only explain as TV MA, plus an old friend pictured below-I guess I am not the only Minnesota transplant here.

(Great Heron)

This is one of the greatest things I have done here, but hey I am a nerd. So, if you want to get your nerd on, go explore tide pools during low tide.

It is these little things that make Los Angeles great.

What I am reading

It seems like I have been double booked with books and book clubs and side book clubs. It is a wonder I get anything done.

What I am reading:
People of the Book
Let the Great World Spin
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
Down and Out in Paris and London
The Tao of Wu

I have also found a new addiction called Goodreads.com It is strange to have such an introverted hobby in such an extroverted forum.

Is your address book page for me worn away for me yet?

Yes I have moved a lot. Minneapolis and back again, Iowa, North Carolina, Los Angeles. Lyndale, Burton, Van Ness, Chicago. I can see why your address book entry for me has become threadbare.

As I am recovering from my housewarming party, I realize that I haven't blogged about my new apartment.

I have lived in some great apartments, maybe not in the best neighborhoods, but great apartments all the same. The apartment I lived in across from Paramount was great, but nothing is like the one I am living in now. My building was built in 1928 and fortunately the owners kept the 1928 charm, like milk doors and built in secretaries.

It is two floors, has hardwood floors, iron railed staircases, original stonework, an eat in kitchen, a bathroom with a shower and a separate tub.

My housewarming was a success, 40 people showed up and made our house very warm. It isn't really camera ready at the moment or I would share some pictures. You will just have to come and see it.

"through the 7 layers of the candycane forest, past the swirly girly gumdrops"

Sometimes you have to really work to get home for the holidays to really appreciate it. I have only begun to be able to talk about SNOMAGGEDON 2009. It was that horrifying.

What started out as two girls and a dog (in an Elizabethan collar) reliving their Thelma and Louise trip of 2000, turned into a white knuckle fight to the finish. I think the problem is that we got cocky. After every mile we passed that was supposed to be "near blizzard" and wasn't we exclaimed:

"The weather channel people overreact, this is nothing, these people have never been to Minnesota before."

And it wasn't bad, when it was it was windy and raining. Rain is doable, especially if you are from MN. What wasn't doable was when it turned into a skating rink outside of Story City, Iowa. Like the IADOT said it would. There were so many Semis in the ditch and understandable, they drive like maniacs, several of them tried to take us down with them.

....but you can't mess with the Decker girls. (Well one Decker and one nee Decker)

What was supposed to be a 14 hour trip turned into 21. 7 of that 21 was between Des Moines IA and Minneapolis. Any nostalgia I felt entering my former alma mater state has now been replaced by bad feelings. I'll never need to go back.

At least we made it home for the Holidays.

The one thing I learned about myself this trip was, at a certain point of being awake, say the 24 hour mark, I lose the ability to speak.

What they are wearing-los angeles civil court version

In Los Angeles business casual means jeans and a t-shirt.

The tempest

Contrary to what the news makes it seem, I have not been evacuated and I have not been swept into the sea. It has been raining for several days here.

For LA this is a bad storm, I saw parts of Burbank are flooded and the LA river is finally swelling. A tornado touched down in Seal Beach mortally wounding two people.

I heard that we might get snow today. I'll keep you posted.

Star sighting -judicial kind

I never thought the day would come that I would be snagged for jury duty. I do not have a CA drivers license, I tried not to register to vote until I had to, I have moved a lot, but alas, they found me.

I was told that serving on a jury was a privilege and that was the first thing I thought when I saw the summons in my mailbox. If you could translate expletives into words, I am sure what I said would be something like this:

"How wonderful to be able to do my duty as a citizen, what a privilege."

Serving jury duty was not the way I wanted to start my four day weekend. I sat in a room for seven hours in hopes of fulfilling my citizen destiny. And why, why do they always have to show a video? You know what I am talking about, "The Judicial System and You" my favorite part was when they interviewed previous jurors and she said:

"You know it was a great experience meeting people and spending such a large amount of time with them. In fact we still keep in touch to this day"

I never knew that serving on a jury was a form of social networking, did you?

The highlights of my day were:
Sitting in the jury assembly room with the Director/writer/actor/producer Kevin Smith
Going to MOCA on Grand and looking at their exhibit of their permanent collection, which is very photo heavy, which I like.

I am off the hook for another year, hopefully more.

bonus

Here is a bonus Nora pic in her coming home outfit:



If you notice, she takes after me in the stick up hair department. Good luck with that.

There is a blog, if you want the address please email me at eyemheer2@yahoo.com.

4 years

Today, four years ago, I packed up all that I could carry, I jumped on a plane and moved to LA. I can hardly believe it. Sometimes it feels like I have been here forever, sometimes it feels like an instant.

I still love Los Angeles, maybe even more so now. Maybe because yesterday I was able to wear a tank top and walk around in January. Sunshine does a lot to change your feelings about life. (That wasn't to make you feel jealous, it was just a truth.) I remember when I first moved out here and I would wake up when the sun was shining and I would rush to get outside because I thought the sun would go away. I felt very much like the main character in Ray Bradbury's "All Summer in a Day" I was told not to worry, that the sun doesn't go away. It doesn't, with the exception of June Gloom.

I love being able to walk down the street and hear 5 different languages, fresh produce (I am a cantaloupe convert) , the view from my office-ocean, mountains, city, I love the beaches, Pinkberry, seeing the places I used to dream about as a kid and for some reason meeting people who are from Minnesota.

There are things that I miss about Minnesota, like my family, but now some of that family is off to Ohio. (Cleveland Rocks!) A new blog in the works maybe?

I designed this new logo for my four year anniversary. I thought it was time for a change.

I promise to be more diligent about writing this year.

Nora

I was fortunate enough to be able to meet my niece before I left for LA. She was born the day I left and I was able to hold her for a couple hours before I had to leave for the airport.




There is a blog in the works and I am sure an email will go out when it is ready.

Happy Holidays!!!

I am off for a planes, trains and automobiles holiday. Fly to Denver, drive to Minneapolis (think happy no blizzard travel thoughts) and then drive up north to Minsk.

I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday, be safe and happy.

We are all excited for Coey and will be on baby watch 2009.

50th

Last month I joined my grandparents out east to help them celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. I think they needed a lot of help, because there were so many people there. Unfortunately not all of the ugly sisters could make it, but the Queen and Duchess of Ugly were able to represent. In fact I think that the only pre-requisite to attending was that you had to have a crazy nickname.

So, I was invited.

The weekend was full of eating, laughing, more eating, a rainy trip into Manhattan. slightly more laughing and a bunch of crazy stories that involved many sheets of notebook paper.

It was really great to see everyone and see all of the people touched by my grandparents. The people around you are indicative of the people you are and the people you have become.


So I guess maybe lovely, funny and long in the tooth?

photos

While you are waiting for me to compose my thoughts about my recent trip out east, take a gander at some photos.

click here

scratch that

I would like to make an amendment to my post yesterday. I had posted how I hadn't seen anyone in a long time.....

Guess who saw Dustin Hoffman yesterday??

It was a great sighting.

Star sightings

None.

Not a single one in the last month.

Halloween

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Here is me trying to do my best Elizabeth Taylor, Cleopatra impression. I think it went pretty well.

Here is why I love my neighborhood:
You can go into a neighborhood bar dressed as Cleopatra, play trivia, win a t-shirt and come out with really great friends who you have never met before, one of which has gone ice fishing in Northern Minnesota.

That is why I love LA.

last day

The last day of the visit was spent saying goodbye to the beach. This time Santa Monica, which I offer as a quick consolation prize to my guests, because Santa Monica is very touristy and quite frankly very dirty.

Here is a picture of a good shot of Coey's belly. It has since progressed, but this is all I have for photos (Maybe there will be another blog in the works?? No pressure Coey)

We did some people watching, ate some gelato, and then it was time to say goodbye.

Brunch of a lifetime

One of the things I have wanted to check off of my list as an Angeleno was have brunch at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel , yes the pink one. Luckily I had some willing participants.

Even though we rode up in our rented Chevy Impala (Yes, the one cops drive around in) we were treated like princesses. Doors opened for us, a nice chaperon to the Polo Lounge and a chorus of "Goodmorning Miss" The BH Hotel is all about service and hardly a no is uttered.

You have seen the Polo Lounge in movies (The Way We Were, Shampoo, Beverly Hills Cop II) and it has a very moviesque quality. Pink and Palm trees and Bougainvillea, white table cloths, and waiters in uniforms.

The food is fantastic, I had the vegetarian benedict w/ Hollandaise added. (Come on how can you eat benedict w/o it) It was buttery and the spinach wasn't so garlicky that it would stop a vampire in its tracks.


We pocketed their french jams with the Beverly Hills Hotel lids. Don't worry everyone does it.

We walked around the hotel grounds, saw the cabanas, took photos like real tourists. I love the opportunity to be a tourist in my own city.

We then headed to the Getty Center to see picturesque views, 16th century art, bibles as old as dirt, Van Gogh's Irises and tried to attend a garden tour, but skulked off because it was a bit boring.

Great task

Now begins the great task of summing up the past few months of my life in blog form.

Sometimes you have to live life instead of writing it down. Especially now that my life feels more like living , than existing. Living is much more fun.

We last left off with a visit from the Minnesotans, which I will finish. I have moved into a lovely apartment (will post photos), I won an award, I traveled to NJ/NY to celebrate an anniversary, I am dating (will not post photos) and am experiencing LA again with someone who wants to experience things.

Mostly I am just happy which is a good, good change.

Next up the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

This is just a quick note to say Happy Thanksgiving, dankfest, kalkuna paivaa to you all.

I promise to do a post a thon this weekend.

Sometimes you just have to live life and not write it down.

Day 2

Off to Manhattan Beach!

But first of course there were crepes.

My quest to finally take family to Hermosa (or Beautiful) Beach was dashed once again by another festival. We will get there one day. So it was off to Manhattan Beach.

I take people to places like Manhattan Beach because these beaches have a lot more to offer than sand, sun and water. I feel like the beaches above Santa Monica and below Seal Beach are just a strip of sand and a public bathroom. ( I could be wrong) Manhattan Beach, on the other hand, has a great downtown area that has a lot of mom and pop shops, plenty of places to eat and drink and walk around. And best of all the beaches are clean unlike Santa Monica and Venice. (ick!)

I think MB was a hit, especially the mom and pop restaurant called the Kettle. Oh and laying in the sun and wading in the chilly waters of the Pacific isn't bad either.

the ladies visit LA

I had some visitors over the labor day weekend. Some ladies from Minnesota. I always love the opportunity to be a tourist in my own city.

Day 1

"The Walk of Fame", the Kodak theater and Pink's

I am always unsure whether or not I should take people to the Walk of Fame or the Kodak theater. I guess it is because your idea of it is so much better than what it is. When I take people there I always wonder whether or not I ruin that idea.

The "Walk of Fame"- I think people are expecting to see a velvet roped off area with very clean well kept sidewalk spaces and a museum-like atmosphere. Well, I hate to disappoint you but the walk of fame is just a sidewalk, like the one outside of your house, just stick more gum on it. You can almost miss it if you don't look down.

The Kodak theater, I feel is equally disappointing. It is nestled within the Hollywood and Highland center, next to Aveda. You can just imagine them clicking their manolos up the stair case and stopping by the Bread Papa for a quick bite. (Not really, too many carbs) Not very exciting. Not the majesty of old Hollywood that I think people are expecting.

Having had people visit a few times it was nice to venture out and see something new. My new places for this trip both involved food. Tonight's venture was getting a hot dog at Pink's. The line at Pink's is long. We waited 50 minutes to get our hot dog's. Pink's has a great menu from the cringeworthy (Chili, Patrami, cheese, or heart attack) to the splendidly surprisingly good as Alice found with the Martha Stewart which is:

Martha Stewart Dog
10" Stretch Dog, relish, onions, bacon
chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut & sour cream

I tried a burger this time which was pretty good.

After Pink's it was time to go back to the Farmer's Daughter, the LA hotel of choice, where I squeezed into a full bed with mom and Coey.

What I have been up to-September

My time lately has been spent looking for apartments, which can be very time consuming. Driving around, writing down numbers, calling people getting no answer, being stood up for appointments, etc.

We did find a great 1920's apartment. Two floors, iron warmer, hardwood floors and for the first time I feel like I have room for guests, hint hint

In blast from the past news, my very first boyfriend was in town last weekend with his band. It was great seeing him and it is great when you have people in your life that come and go and you can pick up where you left off like not a day has passed.

I saw an extremely minor celebrity from a show called "Rock of Love" who had a spin off show called "Daisy of Love" Wow our definition of celebrity has changed.

Now back to my original task of documenting the labor day trip.