inter museum relations

One of the things I like about my job is that I have the opportunity to see a lot of exhibits before they open. Such was the case last Thursday when I went to the Natural History Museum's Dino Dance Party for the new dinosaur pavilion the night before it was revealed to the public. I wasn't much of a dancer, but I had never gone to the museum and since everyone else was shaking their tail feathers, I pretty much had the exhibits to myself. Which is my version of heaven.

I will get to the dino pavillion in a minute, but since I was a newbie I will talk about the other stuff first.




The museum featured a lot of beautiful dioramas featuring once live animals. This was before PETA and in the early 1900's where people would think:

"I would really like that in my museum"

BANG BANG
"Now this animal is in my museum"

(Which I would like to mention is conjecture by me)

To the right are Arabian Oryxes. What is hard to pick up though is how amazing the dioramas are painted and thought out. Standing there in front of these animals you are totally transported to the dunes of the Sahara. The sun, the sun's shadow, the hoof prints in the sand.

There were dioramas of Grizzly Bear, White Tailed Deer, a grand scene of elephants of all sizes w/ water buffalo and for the first time I was able to see how a giraffe drinks water (very awkward by the way), animals upon animals that I had never heard of and then there was a scene of what is in Los Angeles' back yard-which is coyote eating a house cat next to an outdoor pool. Wylie coyote.





To the left are the Walruses resting lazily on an ice float. Which was my favorite. The ice bergs were 3D I swear.

Click here for more information and there is a video on how the Natural History Museum thinks about creating a diorama and the history of dioramas. More are also featured on this site.

We wandered around to the conservation labs where you can watch them clean fossils, when through the bird section and spotted all the birds that we usually see tide pooling or on other Team Girl Trips.

We end up underneath a Fin Whale skeleton which was the whale we stalked in this post

The dinosaur pavilion was amazing as well, sheets of rock with fossils still inside, life sized dinosaurs. Which I assume are at other museums, but I don't ever remember going to those as a kid and Northern Minnesota isn't really known for its museums. I guess that is why I am here, in the land of museums.

what I have been up to-exploring the natural

It has been a while since I have talked about exploring the surrounding nature areas. Sometimes it is easy to forget that there is nature out here, with all the traffic, burger parlors, donut shops and the TMZ.

This is a composite of two visits to Solstice Canyon in Malibu in June and July. There is really a lot to explore here. As you will see from the following photos.

First things first, so that we get it out of the way, I saw my first ever snake in its natural habitat here. That is it to the left, trying to blend in with that tree. I didn't get a good shot of it, what you don't see is its head inside of a beehive, eating bees I guess. Thankfully I have a big zoom and didn't have to get too close. I think that this is a California Glossy Snake which is non-venomous, but I really wasn't going to hang around to find out. heebs, heebs, heebs.

A forest fire swept through the area in 2007, a lot of the trees have burnt trunks and have been hollowed out and are home to a lot of bees. The sound of them swarming in some areas is so loud you can't hear the person next to you.

I just realized that I am starting to make Solstice Canyon sound so scary, but once you get past those parts there is a lot of beauty here. This canyon is one of the few that have running water all year long. There is a waterfall, pictured later, that turns into a creek that runs into the ocean.

Solstice Canyon is home of the first stone house in Malibu, called the Keller house. Reports are shady on when it was built, I'll go with 1904 like the sign says. The shell is all that remains after that 2007 fire. To think, this might have looked like an actual preserved home 5 years ago.

This was not the only house built in this canyon. Tropical Terrace located up the trail a bit was once featured in Architectural Digest and in it was one of these 5 fireplaces.

This house burnt to the ground too, but it is right next to a waterfall.

Trip one we followed a trail to see where it went, unfortunately for me, where it went was teetering on the side of a mountain, almost to the tippy top where there are a lot of lizards trying to trip you up,

but the view is pretty fantastic if I do say so myself.

independence day

I hope everyone is having a safe and happy 4th.

What have I been up to: devouring books

I was so jealous of my sisters who had the chance to participate in BOOK IT! which was an incentive program to get kids reading by rewarding them with pizza. They got this cool button and put stars for each book they read and when they got 10 stars or something, they got a free Pizza Hut Pizza. I think maybe I was too old for BOOK IT! when it came out 25 years ago. (yikes)

I never had a problem being inspired to read. I loved it from the moment I opened up the accordion page in Eloise with her journey up and down the elevator. I guess though being addicted to reading isn't pizza worthy.

So, now I am on my own reading goal this year. 20 books. I have spent most of my free time reading this year. I have read a lot of great books-the Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, Super Sad True Love Story, Ines of My Soul. Some that made me think- Remainder, Super Sad. Some I didn't like so much-Black Hole and Never Let Me Go. I think now I also know a little too much about Finnish textiles.

I am coming to grips with being gifted a Nook. I haven't read anything on it because I feel like I am cheating on book stores. Maybe I'll just download some fashion magazines.

So far it is 12 books down and 8 to go. Now if only someone would give me a gluten free pizza at the end.

what have I been up to: Devouring art

There is so much amazing art going on in Los Angeles right now. It is really hard to know where to go on my days off.

What I have seen:
Cuba from Walker Evans to now: At the Getty Center. An amazing collection of photographs of Cuba dictator to dictator, revolution, poverty, landscapes. I was fortunate to be able to see Alex Harris , one of the photographers speak about the 3 series(es) he had featured in the exhibit and how he was able to get access to Cuba, take the photos he took, his inspiration and his work with Walker Evans.
(closes October 2nd)

Tim Burton: At LACMA. Tim Burton not only is a talented director and artist, but probably his own best archivist. I can't believe how much work of his has been saved over the years. It is a fantastic collection of sketches, models, photographs, costume and movie sets and a cute rejection letter. I had almost forgotten the breadth of his movie career Big Fish, a Batman movie, Pee-wee's big adventure (see an earlier post from this month), Mars Attacks (which I watched again on netflix instant) I have always been a fan of Tim Burton, and many of you commented how much I looked like Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice and a young sardonic teenager and still equally love as a sardonic adult.

Note: this is an extremely popular exhibit and a lot of the installations are pages from his sketch books, like 8 x 10, set up in clusters on the wall and it is hard to see w/ so many people around. The exhibit is timed entry and it is best if you go on a week day during the day.

In addition they are featuring his films on the weekends with Q & As with the director and other people who worked on his films.

(closes October 31st) ;)

Art in the Streets : at MOCA- Geffen center. This is one of the first comprehensive exhibitions of graffiti and street art in the US. It traces the history of graffiti/street art from it's inception in New York and how other cities, twisted it, changed it and made it theirs. It raises the questions what is art? is street art and graffiti -art? or is it vandalism? To me it is art and it is political, but I understand that maybe not everyone thinks that way.

What do you think?

This exhibit closes on August 8 and is free on Mondays courtesy of Banksy.

There is one last exhibit that I am dying to see. I hope to report back soon.

amendment

after I wrote this post I ended up seeing Glen Campbell in a blue flannel onsie sleeper. No, I did not just relay a strange dream I had.

stars they are everywhere

Jack Fisk and his wife Sissy Spacek- He is an art director and production designer and has worked on all of Terrence Malick's films and other films like Mulholland Drive, Water for Elephants and There Will Be Blood. He did a Q&A after "Days of Heaven". Okay I get it now ladies, Richard Gere was really hunky and Sam Sherpard wasn't too bad to look at either.

Ryan Gosling was researching a part in my building, but our paths never crossed

My book club ran into Quentin Tarantino

I saw Lucy Liu at the movies

and Vincent Gallo getting tips for his Mac at the Apple Store

Just normal people doing stuff

food-part 4

I surround myself with great cooks. I have always been inspired by people who know there way around a frying pan or paella pan in this case.

The photo on the left is a picture of my birthday blueberry pie that was made gluten free for me. It was so good. Many of my friends had never had blueberry pie before. For shame because it is so very good.

We spent a lot of our time cooking together and taking turns cooking for each other. I made Finnish pancake one morning and the next we experimented with grilling breakfast. Which was fantastic and a first for me. (Can you tell I have never been camping?) Next time you are debating on what to make, half a green pepper, crack an egg in it, cook it to your desired liking, top it with goat cheese and a fresh Avocado. You will thank me.

The main course for my birthday dinner was a paella and it was beautiful.

the house-part 3

I will never rent a hotel room again. It is silly when you can rent an entire house for less than one hotel room a night. In searching for my mid-century birthday dream house I turned to vrbo.com. The same place we went through to get the house in Vegas (awesome right ladies??) One night, because there were 7 of us we paid $36. I totally recommend it and they have properties everywhere.

Now that my shameless plug of vrbo (vacation rental by owner) is over I can continue on with my trip.

The house:
there are so many great mid-century houses in PS that it was hard to pick. I was this close to staying at the house once owned by Liberace, which would have been a lot of fun swimming around in a pool shaped like a grand piano. In the end we ended up staying at an author's house and a lot of his books about modern and retro living were placed around the house for our reading pleasure. And I did read them to get inspiration for an upcoming move I will be making, details to follow.

living room:





All of the big furniture pieces in all the rooms had little drawers to hide things and opened like puzzles.

master:


the pool:


3o minutes after arriving=bliss

The journey-part 2

I had never had the luxury of having a road trip where I had the time to stop and see all the kitchy things the U.S. have to offer. (ginormous balls of twine, corn mazes, graceland) We always had to be somewhere before it got dark or we didn't leave in time and had to be somewhere. Most of my long car ride stops involved peeing, eating, shopping. On the way to Palm Springs (hereto called PS for the remainder of this post) I knew that there was a stop I needed to make. The place where Pee-wee and Simone watch the sun go down in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Which happens to be inside the head of a dinsosaur.

Strangely the location of the Cabazon Dinosaurs is now a creationist museum. There are placards siting evidence of to co-existence of man and gigantic reptile. There is a 40 million years old man leg in a cowboy boot. (cro-magnon metrosexual nostrodamus?)




It was a short trip to Hadley's to try a date shake (date, the fruit)I saw a California Gold episode where the correspondent had a date shake and really liked it, but it was Huell Howser, I have never seen him be disagreeable. So I had to see if he was lying. I was scared, I don't really like dates all that much. They are really sugary and pasty.

dates=sugar paste

Somehow mixed with ice cream it kind of works. My friend T and I were pleasantly surprised, I can't say the same for the third person in our party.

The 60 is a beautiful stretch of land, recommend it.

3 to the 5-part 1

I debated almost a year on what I wanted to do for my birthday. 5s and 0s are always the big ones and it was big, at least to me. So I wanted to do something that felt equally big for this, my 35th. I took some times and thought about what to do and some of it I had to admit was pretty outlandish. Like traveling around Europe for a month.

I knew that I wanted to travel with friends who mean a lot to me. Friends who are my family here, the ones I spend most major holidays with, even though sometimes we make up those holidays. Some of us are still feeling the recession blues and I knew that it was more important for me to celebrate with people instead of wandering (wondering) around Montreal by myself.

I finally got inspiration from my surroundings Julius Shulman, Nuetra, Krissel, Southern California architecture. I knew that I wanted to go to Palm Springs and stay in one of those houses I see in photographs daily. I wanted to be one of those girls in the photos, pouring over books, having fake conversations in a-line dresses. Like case study 22. (I can't put the photo here, because I know way too much about rights and repro fees)

So that's what I did.

what are they wearing-summer or winter no rhyme or reason

jeaneroos!

What are jeaneroos you may ask? Well, a word I invented that combines the underoos of my youth and jeans. If you are still confused, pull out a pair of your underwear hold them in front of you and imagine them as jeans that you wear outside. Girls wear them every here, when it is cold they wear legging under their jeaneroos. Or when it is warm, they skip the leggings and go jeaneroo solo.

I remember fondly having underoos when I was a little girl. I had wonderwoman underoos and it looked exactly like her costume. I used to spin around in my robe and suddenly I was a super hero, but I know that I am not supposed to wear my underoos on the street. Maybe not everyone got that memo.

like it's 1999

"Good evening LA tonight Minneapolis is going to show you how its done."

That is what I paraphrased from what He said from the bottom of the stage before the show before introducing the Minneapolis band Mint Condition. I am talking about His purple high-heeled highness Prince. Who by the way is nearing the end of his 21 night stand at the Forum.

I have seen him once and am lucky enough to have a ticket to his very last show on the 29th. (unless the world ends first) He is an amazing performer. I guess that is an understatement, but there aren't really words.

I have forgotten what an amazing guitar player he is. The 80's songs don't really tap into that talent they are more keyboards and synchronized dancing, which I find still fantastic, but when the guitar solos comes or he covers Jimmy Hendrix you get to see that side, the music savant.

He is still playing the old tunes, a lot of them, all of them in fact. The night I saw him Sheila E backed him up. She was still fantastic and she played Glamorous Life and Love Bazaar and if I look half as good as she does when I am her age, I will be one lucky lucky woman. All in all he played 2.5 hours and I was dancing and singing in a seat that I paid $25 for that was close enough to see the expression on his face.

Amazing!

Guests have included: Sheila E, Chaka Khan, Gwen Stefani, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Janelle Monet, Cassandra Wilson and I am sure more. Can't wait to see who comes out for the last show.

Are the stars out tonight?

I think I averaged 1 celebrity a week while I was not blogging.

Giovanni Ribisi
Dr. Drew Pinksi
Lisa Edelstien

Someone thought I was Krysten Ritter

april fools

Sometimes April Fool's jokes do not have to be bad. They can be good things like pretending you are at work when you call your dad to wish him a happy birthday when really you are checking your work email at your sisters house in Minnesota. I am really surprised that he had no idea, but you can tell from the look on the pictures in coey's blog that he hadn't a clue.

Thus began the 60th birthday extravaganza.

First stop five guys. Which I had heard everyone talking about so I was happy to finally try it, just before we get one here in LA. The burgers were great and the fries are fantastic.

Second stop, because we couldn't do nascar, was go cart racing.



It was hard to get good photos, a lot of blur and a lot of Dad winning. I have a video, but it would be too loud for the blog.

3rd stop-Pittsburg Blue, because Prime Rib is good.
It was a great dinner a lot of laughter, a lot of malbec a lot of cuteness and I think we might have gotten our x-mas photo.

4th Stop-Presents
Dad always knows every present he is getting, so this is where his acting prowess shows.

In the end it was exactly what he wanted his 60th with his girls.

To my Dad on his 60th

Today my Dad turns 60. I wish I could be there to celebrate, that is the hard thing about living so far away.

Here are some things I find that I have gotten from my Dad:

1. quick wit

2. some times when I tell a story I crack myself up before I can finish

3. that sometimes I recite his corny jokes even tough I pretend I won't

4.Intellegence

4. that we relay information which such authority it is hard to think what we are saying isn't true (the reason most people think I am smarter than I am. nice trick :))

6. Ahi tuna in ponzu sauce ;)

Happy birthday Dad!! Hope it is awesome.

what have I been up to

I took a blog break to do more exploring.

I was lucky to be such a short distance away from the departure/arrival point for my parent's cruise this February. I took the train to meet them in San Diego and I am really kicking myself for not bringing my camera. A friend said that a lot of personal items go missing on Amtrak.

If I had my camera I would have taken photos of the snowy San Gabriel mountains. We have had a lot of rain and there is a lot of snow and the LA river has been more than random puddles in a concrete basin. I also would have taken pictures of the Ocean. The tracks are just about on the beach for the last hour of the trip.

...but I know that these would have come out as my reflection in the window w/ tons of glare.

It is calming watching the waves, but the windows in the way makes it seem more like 3D tv.

Seeing my parents was great. Not too often that people come to the west coast to see me. We ate a lot and walked the harbor.

sightings "explanabrag"

Gillian Jacobs
Danny Pudi
Yeardley Smith

concentrate on what you love

In the book gluten free for dummies (yes, they even have that book) the author states that you should not concentrate on the foods you can't eat and try to find more foods that you can eat and love those instead. I was paraphrasing but that totally makes sense. There was something though that I really really missed and had a hard time living without. Something that made me feel nostalgic and comfortable on cold 50 degree winter days.

Before I found gluten free flour my options consisted of making a witches brew of potato flour, rice flour, xanthan gum, eye of newt, blood of a sami virgin and tapioca starch. A very expensive 50 ingredient concoction that tasted more bland that wheat. It is possible.

But behold, the power of the human to find ways around living without things. Behold gluten free Krupsu.



2 eggs
2 cups of milk
8 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup flour (I used gluten free pantry)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 table spoons reserved for buttering 9 x 13 pan

batter will be thin (just look at all that liquid in the recipe)

heat the pan only 1st at 400 degrees with the two tablespoons butter then pour batter into hot pan and cook 40 minutes.

Note: every krupsu is its own creature, sometimes bubbly, sometimes more flat, be careful not to overcook because it can get a bit fried from ALL THAT GLORIOUS BUTTER.

I have made it so many times since then I have the recipe memorized

heart

Taking a census of family members, I learned that a common guilty pleasure show is How I Met Your Mother.

I guess we are all just a bunch of hopeless romantics.

Happy Valentines Day!

traveling without movimg

Today I toured Palais Versailles and laughed at tourists with their fanny packs, then hit the Tretyakov before lunch.

Google Art Project

back a bit

A couple weekends ago I had a visitor from the mid-west, Aunt Sisa. I was very excited to show off work, especially the views as of late. The rain and then 70 degree temps have made everything more clear. From the top of the hill you could see the snow on the San Gabriel mountains, the jagged teeth of Catalina island and amazing clouds as you can see here:



They got to see art as I worked and we had a nice lunch at the restaurant, a french menu to celebrate an exhibit.

5 years

5 years ago today, I took everything I could carry on a plane and moved to Los Angeles.

To celebrate this moment in my life, I spent the weekend celebrating in different ways. I explored two areas of the city that I was unfamiliar with, took the train closer to the snow capped mountains to have dim sum w/ an old co-worker from my La Escuelita days. I was sad to learn that it has since closed and is no more. I guess it is true that "you can never go home again"

For funsies I tried on dresses at Kate Spade. No buying too expensive.

(what I would have worn to the golden globes, if anyone asked me)

I had a heated discussion about clones at book club and spent an evening doing my favorite thing and that is seeing music.

I can't believe how much it has flown and at the same time, I feel like I have always been here.

NYE 2011

It was great to see family at the end of the year and a couple friends in Minneapolis. I was excited however to get back for one thing and that was New Year's eve and the 8 course meal I was asked to participate in. I left thinking, and this is a morbid thought, that if I were to ever have the experience of being served a last meal, this would be it.

Prix Fixe

1
Margerita jello shots w/ glistening sea salt

2
Cod and fontina croquettes with red pepper aioli
paired with Paco & Lola Albarino

3
Endive salad with blue cheese, pears and candied walnuts
paired w/ Sauvingnon blanc

4
Galatine w/ Apricot ginger sauce
paired w/ (I think at this point I stopped remembering so well, but I am thinking Pinot)

5
Brisket stuffed ravioli with Chicken Liver Sauce
paired w/ Chianti I think because I vaguely remember thinking something about hannibal lecter

Cocktail hour: French 75s

6
sweet potato latkes, braised pork belly, napa cabbage slaw, apples, cider pork jelly
paired w/ beer

7
Queso Manchego w/ Quince Jelly
paired w/ grenache

(aka my sorry sorry attempt at cooking)

8
The best bread pudding I have ever had in my life
paired w/ ?

In the end all I resolved to do in 2011 is make 2011 better than 2010. So far so good.

Before I forget-sighting

I saw Terrence Howard
at the grocery store and youuu didn't.

Photo study: the demolishment of chocolate cake

nothing better than this

There were two highlights of my trip. One was Thursday night when coey and I were able to meet up with Mandy and Evan for dinner and before we met I was on the phone w/ Mandy arranging things when Ev interrupted and screamed:

"Is that Kristen!! Are we going to see Kristen Mom!!!"

I think I have adequate exclamation points.

And when we headed back to coey's and he asked whether or not we were going to have a dance party.

I said "yes"
and he said "I have been seriously excited about this all week"

Glad I could make your week buddy.



So for Evan I dedicate this song, which has become a dance party staple both in person and in Cyberspace:




Thank you Florence and your machine

brought to you by our sponsors

I was very honored to be asked to be Nora's sponsor for her baptism, no she isn't an alcoholic, although after her birthday I may need to have a chocolate intervention with her. A sponsor is a non-religious mentor. I think my message that day was, wear vintage if you can and cover your fault areas with a really cute baby if there is one available.








I can't wait to teach her all kinds of cool stuff like how to eat korean bbq, how to appreciate the arts and how to give good hugs.

Christmas miracle

I think as a reward for my trip home last year, the 22+ hour drive from Denver, I found a once in a lifetime, christmas miracle if you will, roundtrip ticket for $180 on travelocity. Amazing, the thought of paying $500 to come home for christmas was hard to swallow, but I would have done it to see everybody. And now the moment you have all been waiting for.

X-MAS PICTURE POST!!

I hope you didn't die from cuteness, because there is another day of it coming next.

white elephant

I was honored to co-host the 4th annual white elephant party this year with a friend at my apartment. I had about 35 people, swapping gifts, laughing, drinking, eating "crack balls" Which all of my friends call the meatball recipe my mom gave me and I have been making for a lot of my big gatherings at the place.

Recipe for crack balls

1 bag of meatballs
2 jars of chili sauce
1 can of cranberry sauce
1 and 1/2 tablespoons of sambal olek (optional)

In the end I was gifted Casino Royale staring Daniel Craig. Not bad, it could have been worse. How worse I don't want to say because this is a family blog. If you notice in the top right corner. I made white elephant garland, by cutting out white elephant heads out of paper. Very Martha Stewart I know.

What does it mean?

I left Los Angeles as it was flooding. I crossed over the 10 and it was a lake, full of cars apprehensive to go further. It was pouring and then suddenly over the distance blue sky right above the airport and I looked back toward the city and saw a double rainbow. A big fat brilliant rainbow and its shadow.

I have seen a double rainbow before so I didn't get as excited about it as that guy on youtube, but it is still a pretty awesome experience.

I wish I could have taken pictures but I would have just gotten my reflection in the super shuttle window.

Happiest of New Years!!

I hope you all have a safe and happy night tonight and may 2011 be your best year yet!

I will be unpacking and working on posts today, with pictures of course. All this in between shopping for tonight's communal dinner with friends for New Year's eve.

Happy birthday coey!!

and the 5th season is...

RAIN!!!!

It has been gray and rainy for over a week, and will continue to rain a half a week more. I wouldn't mind but today is the first lunar eclipse on winter solstice since 1630 a.d. California is one of the best places to see it if it weren't for these pesky clouds and raindrops hitting you square in the eyeball.

Oh well there is the next half a millennia.

it only happens once every 4 years

I have been complaining since I got here that the one thing I don't like about Los Angeles is that I miss the seasons. It turns out that there are in fact seasons. Not your typical seasons that follow months or a calendar, as I write it is December 12th and it is 84 degrees, but something that is a bit more subtle.

Season one: Yucca Blooms
Season two: Spring
Season three: Jacaranda drop their flowers
Season four: about 40-50 degrees

But I have gathered that something else happens every four years and that is Fall.




The color in LA has been amazing and worth the four year wait.

Saving face

Whilst I was at my conference lounging in my hotel room my facebook account got phished. What the heck does that mean? Well someone was able to get into my account, impersonate me and send people a link to an IQ test. Kind of embarrassing, especially because that person insinuated that I was stupid and could only get a 106.

So I decided that maybe it was best to delete my account. I find that I don't really miss it. Before I left, I saved this picture of me from 1992 that was added by a friend in Arts High days.

in summary

So this is what I have been up to besides writing on this here blog....

I planned and executed an international conference on art history and hosted people from Rome, Turin, Mantua, Padua, Marburg, Zurich, Frankfurt, New York, Washington, DC and greater California and learned a lot more about stucco than I had ever imagined possible. (That sounds kind of sarcastic, but in all actuality very, very interesting.)

I threw a going away party for yet another of our interns going off to greener pastures or plains, because the rain in Spain falls mainly on it. (Wish I were going)

Celebrated a friends year + long search for a job by eating dollar tacos. (Who knew deep fried mash potatoes could be so good.

Saw art and tried Polish food.

On a related note, I started back to the gym.

(in preparation for mom's "surprises" and "of deaths" that are coming my way in two weeks.)